By Jeffrey T (9th G.)
Problem
The energy generated by power plants may not be instantly used, so the energy will be wasted. About 160 billion kWh is lost per year in the US because of the lack of energy storage system. When energy demand is high, the new energy generated might not be enough, which is where energy storage is needed.
Solution
When there is excess electricity left, they flow to our CAES station. The electricity would go into the air compressors, and the compressed energy would be filled into gas tanks. When extra energy is needed, the system releases gas stored in tanks which moves turbine and generates energy. The gas tanks are held in a spool which can spin according to the air pressure of each tank.
Why Compressed Air
●Safe
●Approachable
●Cheap
●Environmentally Friendly
●Long-term Storage
●Efficient
The Advantage of Using a Rotating spool
●Easier to repair
●Customizable Air Pressure of Each Tank
●Customizable Gas Type
●Better Durability
Design Process
1.Define the Objective
2.Preliminary Engineering Modeling
3.Structural Design(Tinkercad)
4.Theoretical Calculation
5.Prototypes Building
6.Electrical System Design
7.Deploy the System
Efficiency Improvement
Energy Used to compress air to 1608m^3 with 20 MPA:
The work needed to be done: 67.3GJ
Electricity usage and dissipation: Use 25 MWH, lose 6 MWH as Heat
Energy generated by the system:
The amount of energy stored: ~18.7MWH
After energy dissipation: ~15.1 MWH
Efficiency: 60.6%
Huntorf CAES, Germany: 42%-54%
McIntosh, Alabama: 54%
