Modelling and experimental validation of advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage with off-design heat exchanger

Advanced adiabatic compressed air energy storage (AA-CAES) has been recognised as a promising approach to boost the integration of renewables in the form of electricity and heat in integrated energy systems. Nevertheless, the uncertainty and variability of renewables spark the consideration of the off-design thermodynamics of AA-CAES, particularly when the heat exchanger is equipped to collect and recycle air-compression heat. Here, the authors propose a general off-design thermodynamic simulation model of AA-CAES incorporating the part-load characteristics of heat exchangers, and validate the effectiveness of the proposed model on a practical AA-CAES demonstration pilot. The results indicate that the simulation model offers an acceptable approximation for the practical operation behaviour of AA-CAES facility and decreases the modelling error from 20.8 to 6.28% compared with the existing model. The proposed simulation model is expected to provide insights into the investigation of the dynamic characteristics of AA-CAES in the future integrated energy system.