Dead Volume Sensitivity Study and Its Influence on Air Expander Performance for m-CAES Installations

Jan Markowski, Anna Kraszewska, Dominik Gryboś and Jacek Leszczyński ()
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Jan Markowski: Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Anna Kraszewska: Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Dominik Gryboś: Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland
Jacek Leszczyński: Department of Thermal and Fluid Flow Machines, Faculty of Energy and Fuels, AGH University of Krakow, 30-059 Krakow, Poland

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: As the global demand for clean and efficient energy continues to grow, the development of advanced energy storage technologies is becoming increasingly important. This study explores the influence of the dead volume coefficient and pulse-width modulation (PWM) control strategy on the performance of a piston expander in a micro-compressed air energy storage system. Simulation results showed that low dead volume values, combined with short air supply durations with PWM values between 0.1 and 0.2, led to improved energy utilization. This was achieved through complete piston strokes and stable power output. In contrast, high dead volume values and high PWM settings, such as 0.9, resulted in incomplete air expansion, excessive air consumption, and a significant reduction in overall system efficiency, even though peak power output may increase. Sensitivity analysis confirmed that PWM had a major impact on efficiency, with the highest value of 0.76 achieved for a dead volume coefficient of 0.05 and a PWM value of 0.2. Under these operating conditions, the expander delivered a generated power output of 970 W. Additionally, PWM enabled flexible control of power output, without requiring modifications to the system’s physical design. The study highlights the importance of adjusting the air admission strategy to match the internal volume characteristics.

Keywords: compressed air; dead volume; efficiency; air expander (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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