One-dimensional turbomachinery models for pumped thermal energy storage systems

Abstract

The rise in temperature attributed to human CO2 emissions and the escalating energy needs of society necessitates the development of clean energy production. Solar and wind energy, both renewable sources, have emerged as cost-effective alternatives to conventional fossil fuel systems. They now account for a substantial portion of the world's electricity generation (IEA, 2022). However, their intermittent nature poses a challenge to their reliability. To overcome this, the implementation of grid-scale energy storage systems is crucial. Such systems can store excess energy produced during peak periods and release it during low-generation or high-demand periods, ensuring a stable and dependable power supply to the grid.

Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) is one such type of promising grid-scale storage solution based on the concept of storing electricity in the form of heat. These systems are not reliant on rare earth metals, are not restricted by geographical location, and are relatively economical over their lifetime. They employ a heat pump cycle for charging and a heat engine cycle during times of discharge. Often, in the thermodynamic modelling of PTES systems, a fixed value of turbomachinery efficiency is assumed. This approach holds well for the first estimate of performance, but for better accuracy and further analysis, meanline models could be used to arrive at the efficiency value and preliminary geometric design. Hence, this work presents a method for developing meanline models for centrifugal compressors and radial inflow turbines. Modelling techniques and guidelines from the literature are noted and presented here. The accuracy of these models is dependent mainly on the loss models used. Using suitable models selected from the literature, a fair agreement was found between the meanline model's prediction and experimental data from open literature, validating the methodology.

An essential function of energy storage is to provide load flexibility, meaning its charging and discharging cycles must adjust to match the net load curve. As a result, the turbomachinery would need to operate under off-design conditions to meet these demands. Therefore, this report introduces an approach to extend the PTES model by Radi (2023) for off-design operation based on turbomachine performance.