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Dynamic characteristics of compressed air energy storage system embedded with abandoned oil well storage: A numerical approach

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  • Yang, Hua
  • Wu, Jiachao
  • Cui, Jingyu
  • Du, Cong
  • Tian, Liang
  • Zhao, Fuxing

Abstract

Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a promising solution for large-scale energy storage. This study develops a three-stage compression and two-stage expansion thermal-storage CAES (TS-CAES) system with abandoned oil well (AOW) storage. Simulation results show: (1) During the energy storage stage, the underground well (UG) achieves the fastest pressure buildup rate, reaching 15 MPa in 6.3 h, 1.0 h faster than the first on-ground tank (OG1) and 1.6 h faster than the second on-ground tank (OG2); (2) During the energy release stage, UG maintains the most stable internal temperature, with an energy release duration of 4.2 h, shorter than OG1 (4.5 h) and OG2 (5.3 h), thus ensuring stable turbine inlet conditions; (3) UG benefits from geothermal coupling with surrounding strata (343 K), which accelerates pressurization, stabilizes discharge, and enables the highest recoverable waste heat (6.95 × 104 MJ), surpassing OG1 and OG2 by over 10%. This geothermal contribution transforms the UG chamber from a passive air reservoir into an active energy conversion component. This study confirms the feasibility of using abandoned oil well as alternative air storage tanks (ASTs) in TS-CAES systems, providing theoretical support for their integration with geothermal resources to optimize large-scale energy storage performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Yang, Hua & Wu, Jiachao & Cui, Jingyu & Du, Cong & Tian, Liang & Zhao, Fuxing, 2026. "Dynamic characteristics of compressed air energy storage system embedded with abandoned oil well storage: A numerical approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 347(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:347:y:2026:i:c:s0360544226004810
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2026.140378
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