Multi-objective optimization of Pumped Thermal Energy Storage for large scale applications

Sergio Rech, Piero Danieli, Gianluca Carraro and Andrea Lazzaretto

Energy, 2025, vol. 334, issue C

Abstract: Pumped Thermal Energy Storage (PTES) systems are ideal candidates for large scale applications due to high energy densities, no geographical constraints, and the use of safe materials and working fluids. This paper shows how considering the charge and discharge phases of a PTES system as if they were simultaneous allows to easily find the internal heat transfer that optimizes the design of the total system in each step of the optimization procedure. The application of this approach makes a homogeneous comparison of all PTES configurations and performance possible, easy to be carried out and interpreted. Round-trip efficiency and energy density are considered as performance metrics, and their optimum trade-off is obtained by means of a multi-objective optimization approach. Results show that the maximum round-trip efficiency of 53% is obtained by a Rankine PTES versus a maximum value of 42% of the Brayton-Joule PTES. Conversely, energy density shows an inverse ranking between Rankine (30kWh/m3) and Brayton-Joule (70kWh/m3) configurations due to the higher temperatures at which heat can be “pumped" in the latter. Finally, it was found that additional configuration changes, such as an increased number of compression and expansion stages, are not convenient for the slight performance improvement.

Keywords: Pumped thermal energy storage; Multi-objective optimization; HEATSEP methodology; Maximizing round-trip efficiency; Maximizing energy-density (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544225032499
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:334:y:2025:i:c:s0360544225032499

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2025.137607

Access Statistics for this article

Energy is currently edited by Henrik Lund and Mark J. Kaiser

More articles in Energy from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().