Performance analysis of recuperated Brayton pumped thermal electricity storage with staged compressors

Aowei Hu, Liang Wang, Xipeng Lin, Wei Ai, Yakai Bai, Lin Lin, Chi Zhang, Zhicheng Qi and Haisheng Chen

Energy, 2025, vol. 316, issue C

Abstract: Among large-scale energy storage technologies, pumped thermal electricity storage (PTES) has garnered significant attention in recent years due to its advantages of being independent of geographical constraints and possessing high energy density. However, conventional PTES systems are characterized by high power consumption in the compressor during the discharging process, leading to reduced system performance. To address this issue, this study proposes two novel system structures: intercooled compression PTES (CC-PTES) and isothermal compression PTES (IC-PTES). These systems, based on the recuperated Brayton cycle, employ different compression modes to reduce compressor power consumption during the discharging process, thereby improving overall system performance. The effects of different working fluids—nitrogen, helium, and argon—on system performance were evaluated through mathematical modelling. The two new systems were then compared with the conventional PTES system. The results indicate that helium offers the highest performance with equal heat-capacity flow rate among the tested working fluids, leading to its selection for all subsequent analyses. Furthermore, among the three system structures, the IC-PTES exhibited the lowest compressor power dissipation and exergy loss during the discharging process, achieving the best overall system performance. The IC-PTES demonstrated a round-trip efficiency of 57.78 % and an energy density of 18.31 kWh/m³, representing improvements of 9.58 % and 2.07 kWh/m³, respectively, over the conventional recuperated PTES system. This study provides valuable insights for optimizing PTES system designs to enhance their performance.

Keywords: Pumped thermal electricity storage; Staged compressor; Molten salt; Round-trip efficiency; Energy density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:316:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225001811

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.134539

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