New invention targets summer capacity needed to assure grid reliability
(Palo Alto, California—January 11, 2022) U.S. Patent No. 11,221,177 entitled CRYOGENIC LIQUID ENERGY STORAGE was granted to Dr. William M. Conlon, the founder and president of Pintail Power LLC. This latest patent extends Pintail’s Liquid Air Power and Storage (LAPS™) technology platform to shorter duration applications by using cryogenic liquid air to increase the power output of simple and combined cycle power plants.
Gas turbine performance is greatly reduced on hot days when capacity is most needed. This invention uses pressurized cryogenic liquid air to cool gas turbine inlet air and restore power output to the rating condition or beyond to deliver high value electricity when it is most needed. Both simple and combined cycle units can benefit from this novel approach.
The liquid air can be produced on-site using low-cost off-peak electricity to drive a cryogenic refrigerator or can be delivered by an industrial gas supplier. Liquid air is safely stored in compact bullet tanks, with loss rates less than 0.1% per day. The high density of liquid air permits many hundreds of Megawatt-hours to be stored in a compact footprint.
When needed for power boosting, heat exchangers cool the gas turbine inlet air and heat pressurized liquid air causing it to gasify. The gasified air is then heated by the exhaust from the gas turbine and injected into the combustor of the gas turbine to further boost power output. This approach can boost power output by 25% or more, depending on the gas turbine and air temperature.
The invention will be developed and commercialized by Pintail Power LLC, which provides innovative hybrid energy storage to bridge renewable and conventional generation. Pintail Power provides long-duration energy storage technology, systems and services to utilities, independent power producers and developers to accelerate the transition to low-carbon electricity.
Contact
Judith Schwartz
To the Point
judith@tothept.com
(650) 906-9927