• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.45-50
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• 2020

In this research, the variation of round-trip efficiency in a liquid air energy storage system (LAES) is calculated and an optimal configuration is found. The multiple stages of cold energy storage are simulated with several materials that process latent heat at different temperature ranges. The effectiveness in the charging and discharging processes of LAES is newly defined, and its relationship with the round-trip efficiency is examined. According to defined correlation, the effectiveness of the discharging process significantly affects the overall system performance. The round-trip efficiency is calculated for the combined cold energy storage materials of aqueous dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution, ethanol, and pentane theoretically. The performance of LAES varies depending on the freezing point of the cold storage materials. In particular, when the LAES uses several cold storage materials, those materials whose freezing points are close to room temperature and liquid air temperature should be included in the cold storage materials. In this paper, it is assumed that only latent heat is used for cold energy storage, but for more realistic analyzes, the additional consideration of the transient thermal situation to utilize sensible heat is required. In the case of such a dynamic system, since there is certainly more increased heat capacity of the entire storage system, the volume of the cold energy storage system will be greatly reduced.

• New & Renewable Energy
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2020

Liquid air energy storage (LAES) using gas liquefaction has attracted considerable attention because of its mature technology, high energy density, few geographical constraints, and long life span. On the other hand, LAES has not yet been commercialized and is being developed recently. Therefore, few studies have performed an economic analysis of LAES. In this study, the levelized cost of electricity was calculated and compared with that of other energy storage systems. As a result, the levelized cost of electricity of LAES was $371/MWh. This is approximately $292/MWh, $159/MWh, $118/MWh, and $3/MWh less than that of the LiCd battery, VRFB battery, Lead-acid battery, and NaS battery. In addition, the cost was approximately $62/MWh and $195/MWh more than that of Fe-Cr flow battery and PHS. Sensitivity analysis of the levelized cost of electricity according to the main economic factors was performed, and economic uncertainty analysis was performed through a Monte-Carlo simulation. The cumulative probability curve showed the levelized cost of electricity of LAES, reflecting price fluctuations in the air compressor cost, electricity cost, and standing reserve hourly fee.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.63-73
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• 2018

Innovative technical process for Energy Storage System (ESS), Liquid Air Energy Storage system (LAES) is mature technologies based on the gas liquefaction process. In spite of many advantages such as high energy density, no geographical constraints, low investment costs and long useful life, the system has not yet widely commercialized due to low round trip efficiency. To improve RTE and acquire high yield of liquid air, various configurations of LAES process have been considered. In this research, dual refrigerants cycle (R-600a and methanol) for air liquefaction and thermal oil circulation for power generation via liquid air gasification have been applied to improve cycle performance significantly using Aspen HYSYS simulator.

• Progress in Superconductivity and Cryogenics
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.40-44
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• 2019

This study investigates mixtures of water and cryoprotectant agents (CPAs) to store high-grade cold energy. Although water is an ideal material for a cold thermal storage (CTS) due to its high specific heat, undesirable volume expansion may cause structural stresses during freezing. The volume expansion can be alleviated by adding the CPAs to water. However, the CPA aqueous solutions not only have different thermal properties but also transit to amorphous state different from pure water. Therefore, these characteristics should be considered when using them as material of the CTS. In experiments, glycerol and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) are selected as the candidate CPA. The volume expansion of the solution is measured by an in-situ strain gauge in low temperature region. The specific heat capacity of the solution is also measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Both the amount of volume expansion and the specific heat capacity of the CPA aqueous solution decrease in the case of higher concentration of CPA. These characteristics should be contemplated to select optimal aqueous solution for CTS for liquid air energy storage system (LAES). The CPA solutions have advantages of having wide temperature range to utilize the latent heat of water and higher sensible heat of the CPA. The CPA solutions which can satisfy the allowable stress of the structure are determined. Consequently, among the CPA solutions investigated, DMSO 20% w/w solution is the most suitable for the CTS.