Politecnico di Torino | Servizi per la didattica

KEYWORD

Area Engineering

Feasibility study and preliminary design of a single stage compressor for CAES applications

keywords CAES, CENTRIFUGAL COMPRESSOR, COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE, ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Reference persons MIRKO BARATTA, SIMONE SALVADORI

Thesis type DATA ANALYSIS AND MODELING, DESIGN AND ENGINEERING

Description The present thesis project is proposed within the PUSH-CCC European project, funded under the framework of the HORIZON-EIC-2022 action. PUSH-CCC proposes to overcome the existing limits of Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) scalability, replicability, efficiency, and energy density while boosting its cost-effective commercial development in Europe. Within state-of-the-art CAES systems, three-stage intercooled compression phases are usually implemented. Conversely, this thesis project is focused on the feasibility study of a single-stage compression with overall pressure ratio of around 65.

To cope with the project’s requests, an approach based on the design of the velocity triangles will be initially used and a tentative single-stage compression impeller be designed. Performance optimization will then be performed based on mean-line or streamline analyses as well as empirical models available from the literature. The possibility to increase the isentropic efficiency will be studied with the intent of increasing the overall efficiency and attenuate the temperature issues. The heat losses towards the casing will be also analyzed, and the axial thrust will be calculated. Present activity may require the implementation of in-house tools for the preliminary design and optimization, the modification of existing in-house tools for preliminary design, and the use of commercial tools for the final analysis and the definition of performance maps.