Pintail Power

New Patent for Cryogenic Energy Storage System

(Palo Alto, California)–August 23, 2022  The United States Patent Office has granted U.S. Patent Number 11,421,560 to Pintail Power founder and President William M. Conlon. The patent, entitled “Part Load Operation of Liquid Air Power and Storage System,” describes the operation of a cryogenic energy storage system to efficiently load follow.

The Liquid Air Power and Storage (LAPS) process uses renewable electricity to liquefy air for storage at atmospheric pressure .  The stored renewable energy is discharged by pressuring the liquid and and regasifying the liquid using a gas turbine’s exhaust heat. The regasified air is then mixed with a fuel, such as Hydrogen, and expanded in the turbine to produce power. The power output is regulated by varying the liquid air flow rate and adjusting the fuel flow to achieve the maximum allowable temperature in the turbine. This method can be combined with bottoming Rankine power cycles to increase power output and efficiency.

The invention will be commercialized by Pintail Power LLC as part of its cryogenic energy storage technology line. Pintail Power bridges renewable and conventional generation by providing technology that couples thermal energy storage with proven thermal power generation.  These hybrid process technologies offer low-cost, long duration energy storage to reduce renewable curtailment, cut GHG emissions, and improve the flexibility and reliability of the electric grid.  Pintail Power provides technology, systems and services to utilities, independent power producers and developers to accelerate the transition to low-carbon electricity.  In addition to LACC technology, Pintail Power also provides Liquid Salt Combined Cycle (LSCC) technology that uses proven molten salt storage technology to provide intra-day and inter-day storage of a few Gigawatt-hours of energy.

Contact
Judith Schwartz
To the Point
judith@tothept.com
(650) 906-9927