SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ENERGY STORAGE AND RECOVERY USING RAPID ISOTHERMAL GAS EXPANSION AND COMPRESSION

摘要

The invention relates to systems and methods for rapidly and isothermally expanding and compressing gas in energy storage and recovery systems (300) that use open-air hydraulic-pneumatic cylinder assemblies, such as an accumulator (316, 317) and an intensifier (318, 319) in communication with a high-pressure gas storage reservoir on a gas-side of the circuits and a combination fluid motor/pump (330), coupled to a combination electric generator/motor (332) on the fluid side of the circuits. The systems use heat transfer subsystems in communication with at least one of the cylinder assemblies or reservoir to thermally condition the gas being expanded or compressed.