Thermodynamic analysis and optimization of an innovative hybrid multi-generating liquid air energy storage system

摘要

Liquid air energy storage (LAES) is a promising but under-developing electricity storage concept for large-scale applications, which has gained a lot of attention in recent years. No geographical restrictions, acceptable cost-effectiveness level, and high energy density are some of the main advantages of this technology. On the other hand, the immature state-of-the-art, and lower power-to-power round-trip efficiency compared to other competitors are referred to as its main drawbacks which should be addressed for the successful development of this concept. The current research proposes a novel hybrid design for the LAES to improve its electrical efficiency and to introduce it as a multi-generating unit being capable of tri-generation of power, heat, and potable water. The proposed hybrid system results in an overall efficiency of over 71 which is already similar to 23 better than the conventional design of a stand-alone LAES. Thermodynamic analysis of the proposed hybrid system is performed; the simulation results are validated using the existing data in the literature. The multi-objective optimization algorithm is developed to optimize the system configuration and operating characteristics. 88.6 MWh off-peak renewable-based electricity is stored during 8 h to provide 52.8 MWh electrical energy during 4 h of the peak period. Also, 59 m(3) potable water and 938.8 m(3) hot water are produced during 12 h of system operation.