Transfer Line Compressed Air Energy Storage (TL-CAES) System for an Onshore/Offshore Wind Farm Using 100-mile Long Pneumatic Pipeline

摘要

A wind farm, located in a windy and remote mountain, can effectively supply uninterrupted and smooth power to towns along its 100-mile long path using a Transfer Line Compressed Air Energy Storage (TL-CAES) system. This paper presents the results of two case studies of (TL-CAES) system, as applied to two specific scenarios. The first series of scenarios is of a TL-CAES System integrated with a Wind Farm, and consisting of a series of compressors located in the Tehachapi Mountains, a 100-mile length of high-pressure pipe, a turboexpander/generator, and an industrial park of buildings using electrical power to operate equipment and augment the building power supply. Transfer line pressures of 1,200-psig as well as 1.0-, 1.5- and 3.0-feet inside diameter pipes are used to evaluate system specifications. There are three configurations: (1) No waste heat is used for generation of electricity and maximum co-generated chilled air, (2) Waste heat is used for generation of more electricity and less chilled air and (3) Waste heat and low level burner is used to maximize generation of electricity and co-generate almost no chilled air. The second scenario is of an TL-CAES System integrated with a Wind Farm, and consisting of a series of compressors located in the Tehachapi Mountains, a 100- mile length of high-pressure pipe along the desert floor, and an industrial park of buildings using 150-, 100- and 50-psig, air-pressure, to operate pneumatic tools and machinery. This system will result in extremely high overall system efficiencies. This is the fourth configuration of the TL-CAES system. In this scenario one can place industrial parks at several stations alongside the 100-mile long pipeline, where each station feeds its own industrial park. The TL-CAES system transmits wind energy from a wind farm to the industrial park by utilizing high-pressure pipelines instead of expensive and environmentally undesirable electric transmission lines in the range of 2 MW. The replacement of the electrical line by a pneumatic transmission line not only provides transmission of energy but also storage of energy and has application to 10 MW inputs.