Airtight butyl rubber under high pressures in the storage tank of CAES-G/T system power plant

摘要

The compressed air up to the maximum pressure of 8 MPa is stored in the storage facility of the Compressed Air Energy Storage Gas Turbine (CAES-G/T). The interior of the storage facility is covered by air-tight sheets to prevent a leak of this compressed air. Electricity by a power-generating system using such a facility is the first of its kind in the world. So, we have examined the materials of the airtight sheet and found that polymeric materials were suitable. Then, a normal pressure gas permeation test was done on several synthetic resins and rubbers. Butyl rubber (IIR) was found to show the smallest gas permeability. Moreover, a high-pressure gas permeation test was done on IIR and natural rubber (NR). The permeability of ITR at 10 MPa was estimated, and it was clear that ITR was a suitable air-tight material for CAES-G/T. (C) 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.