IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/appene/v315y2022ics0306261922003464.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

A partially underground rock bed thermal energy storage with a novel air flow configuration

Author

Listed:
  • Knobloch, Kai
  • Muhammad, Yousif
  • Costa, Marta Soler
  • Moscoso, Fabrizio Mayta
  • Bahl, Christian
  • Alm, Ole
  • Engelbrecht, Kurt

Abstract

Low-cost, grid-level energy storage is key to maximizing the utilization of renewable energy production and decarbonizing the electricity sector. The design and testing of a high-temperature thermal energy storage based on rocks is presented. Important design features are the three electric heaters mounted on top of the storage and the inner pipe inside the rock bed, allowing for the first time a reversible vertical air flow configuration of a system which is partially underground. The rock bed storage is highly scalable and based on diabase which is abundant as well as low-cost in Northern Europe and other locations. A pilot plant with a storage capacity of 1 MWhth has been operated up to 675°C. The first law round-trip efficiency of 70.7% in an initial operation exceeds all efficiencies observed in a previously built thermal storage with horizontal flow configuration. By improving the operation with charge and discharge air flow rates of 140 and 300 Nm/h3, respectively, the first law round-trip efficiency increases to 80.7%. A maximum thermal output of 58.06 kW is achieved, of which 90% can already be provided within 6 min of start-up. This paper demonstrates that the novel medium-scale storage can operate with a satisfactory performance for several years with no failures to date.

Suggested Citation

  • Knobloch, Kai & Muhammad, Yousif & Costa, Marta Soler & Moscoso, Fabrizio Mayta & Bahl, Christian & Alm, Ole & Engelbrecht, Kurt, 2022. "A partially underground rock bed thermal energy storage with a novel air flow configuration," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 315(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:315:y:2022:i:c:s0306261922003464
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118931
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261922003464
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.apenergy.2022.118931?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eppinger, Bernd & Zigan, Lars & Karl, Jürgen & Will, Stefan, 2020. "Pumped thermal energy storage with heat pump-ORC-systems: Comparison of latent and sensible thermal storages for various fluids," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    2. Dreißigacker, Volker & Zunft, Stefan & Müller-Steinhagen, Hans, 2013. "A thermo-mechanical model of packed-bed storage and experimental validation," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 1120-1125.
    3. Soprani, Stefano & Marongiu, Fabrizio & Christensen, Ludvig & Alm, Ole & Petersen, Kenni Dinesen & Ulrich, Thomas & Engelbrecht, Kurt, 2019. "Design and testing of a horizontal rock bed for high temperature thermal energy storage," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    4. Barbour, Edward & Wilson, I.A. Grant & Radcliffe, Jonathan & Ding, Yulong & Li, Yongliang, 2016. "A review of pumped hydro energy storage development in significant international electricity markets," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 421-432.
    5. Yang, Zhen & Garimella, Suresh V., 2010. "Molten-salt thermal energy storage in thermoclines under different environmental boundary conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 87(11), pages 3322-3329, November.
    6. Joeri Rogelj & Alexander Popp & Katherine V. Calvin & Gunnar Luderer & Johannes Emmerling & David Gernaat & Shinichiro Fujimori & Jessica Strefler & Tomoko Hasegawa & Giacomo Marangoni & Volker Krey &, 2018. "Scenarios towards limiting global mean temperature increase below 1.5 °C," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(4), pages 325-332, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ouyang, Tiancheng & Pan, Mingming & Tan, Xianlin & Li, Lulu & Huang, Youbin & Mo, Chunlan, 2024. "Power prediction and packed bed heat storage control for marine diesel engine waste heat recovery," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 357(C).
    2. Liang, Ting & Vecchi, Andrea & Knobloch, Kai & Sciacovelli, Adriano & Engelbrecht, Kurt & Li, Yongliang & Ding, Yulong, 2022. "Key components for Carnot Battery: Technology review, technical barriers and selection criteria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    3. Schwarzmayr, Paul & Birkelbach, Felix & Walter, Heimo & Hofmann, René, 2023. "Standby efficiency and thermocline degradation of a packed bed thermal energy storage: An experimental study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 337(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Liang, Ting & Vecchi, Andrea & Knobloch, Kai & Sciacovelli, Adriano & Engelbrecht, Kurt & Li, Yongliang & Ding, Yulong, 2022. "Key components for Carnot Battery: Technology review, technical barriers and selection criteria," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 163(C).
    2. Vivar, M. & H, Sharon & Fuentes, M., 2024. "Photovoltaic system adoption in water related technologies – A review," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 189(PB).
    3. Bruno Cárdenas & Lawrie Swinfen-Styles & James Rouse & Seamus D. Garvey, 2021. "Short-, Medium-, and Long-Duration Energy Storage in a 100% Renewable Electricity Grid: A UK Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-28, December.
    4. Zhao, Yongliang & Song, Jian & Liu, Ming & Zhao, Yao & Olympios, Andreas V. & Sapin, Paul & Yan, Junjie & Markides, Christos N., 2022. "Thermo-economic assessments of pumped-thermal electricity storage systems employing sensible heat storage materials," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(C), pages 431-456.
    5. Kate Dooley & Ellycia Harrould‐Kolieb & Anita Talberg, 2021. "Carbon‐dioxide Removal and Biodiversity: A Threat Identification Framework," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 12(S1), pages 34-44, April.
    6. Elke Stehfest & Willem-Jan Zeist & Hugo Valin & Petr Havlik & Alexander Popp & Page Kyle & Andrzej Tabeau & Daniel Mason-D’Croz & Tomoko Hasegawa & Benjamin L. Bodirsky & Katherine Calvin & Jonathan C, 2019. "Key determinants of global land-use projections," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. Soha, Tamás & Munkácsy, Béla & Harmat, Ádám & Csontos, Csaba & Horváth, Gergely & Tamás, László & Csüllög, Gábor & Daróczi, Henriett & Sáfián, Fanni & Szabó, Mária, 2017. "GIS-based assessment of the opportunities for small-scale pumped hydro energy storage in middle-mountain areas focusing on artificial landscape features," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 1363-1373.
    8. Mao, Qianjun & Zhang, Yamei, 2020. "Thermal energy storage performance of a three-PCM cascade tank in a high-temperature packed bed system," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 152(C), pages 110-119.
    9. Chepeliev, Maksym & Diachuk, Oleksandr & Podolets, Roman & Trypolska, Galyna, 2021. "The role of bioenergy in Ukraine's climate mitigation policy by 2050," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 152(C).
    10. Ángel Galán-Martín & Daniel Vázquez & Selene Cobo & Niall Dowell & José Antonio Caballero & Gonzalo Guillén-Gosálbez, 2021. "Delaying carbon dioxide removal in the European Union puts climate targets at risk," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.
    11. Müller-Hansen, Finn & Lee, Yuan Ting & Callaghan, Max & Jankin, Slava & Minx, Jan C., 2022. "The German coal debate on Twitter: Reactions to a corporate policy process," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    12. Mararakanye, Ndamulelo & Bekker, Bernard, 2019. "Renewable energy integration impacts within the context of generator type, penetration level and grid characteristics," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 441-451.
    13. Le Brun, N. & Hewitt, G.F. & Markides, C.N., 2017. "Transient freezing of molten salts in pipe-flow systems: Application to the direct reactor auxiliary cooling system (DRACS)," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 186(P1), pages 56-67.
    14. Bergholt, Drago & Røisland, Øistein & Sveen, Tommy & Torvik, Ragnar, 2023. "Monetary policy when export revenues drop," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    15. Wesseh, Presley K. & Benjamin, Nelson I. & Lin, Boqiang, 2022. "The coordination of pumped hydro storage, electric vehicles, and climate policy in imperfect electricity markets: Insights from China," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    16. Fasquelle, T. & Falcoz, Q. & Neveu, P. & Hoffmann, J.-F., 2018. "A temperature threshold evaluation for thermocline energy storage in concentrated solar power plants," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 1153-1164.
    17. Hilario J. Torres-Herrera & Alexis Lozano-Medina, 2021. "Methodological Proposal for the Assessment Potential of Pumped Hydropower Energy Storage: Case of Gran Canaria Island," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-27, June.
    18. Wu, Ming & Xu, Chao & He, Ya-Ling, 2014. "Dynamic thermal performance analysis of a molten-salt packed-bed thermal energy storage system using PCM capsules," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 184-195.
    19. Yang Ou & Christopher Roney & Jameel Alsalam & Katherine Calvin & Jared Creason & Jae Edmonds & Allen A. Fawcett & Page Kyle & Kanishka Narayan & Patrick O’Rourke & Pralit Patel & Shaun Ragnauth & Ste, 2021. "Deep mitigation of CO2 and non-CO2 greenhouse gases toward 1.5 °C and 2 °C futures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-9, December.
    20. Dan Tong & David J. Farnham & Lei Duan & Qiang Zhang & Nathan S. Lewis & Ken Caldeira & Steven J. Davis, 2021. "Geophysical constraints on the reliability of solar and wind power worldwide," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-12, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:315:y:2022:i:c:s0306261922003464. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/405891/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.