A compressed air energy storage system may have an accumulator and a thermal storage subsystem having a cold storage chamber for containing a supply of granular heat transfer, a hot storage chamber and at least a first mixing chamber in the gas flow path and having an interior in which the compressed gas contacts the granular heat transfer particles at a mixing pressure that is greater than the cold storage pressure and the hot storage pressure and a conveying system operable to selectably move the granular heat transfer particles from the cold storage chamber, through the first mixing chamber and into the hot storage chamber, and vice versa.

A method for operating the liquid air energy storage (LAES) includes production of the storable liquid air through consumption of a low-demand power and recovery the liquid air for co-production of an on-demand power and a high-grade saleable cold thermal energy which may be used, say, for liquefaction of the delivered natural gas; in so doing zero carbon footprint is provided both for fueled augmentation of the LAES power output and for LNG co-production at the LAES facility.

A hydrostatically compensated compressed air energy storage system may include an accumulator disposed underground and a compressor/expander subsystem in fluid communication. A compensation shaft may extend between an upper and a lower end and define a shaft depth. An upper end wall can cover the upper end of the shaft. A compensation liquid reservoir can be offset above the upper end wall by a reservoir elevation that is at least about 15% of the shaft depth. A compensation liquid flow path may extend between the compensation liquid reservoir and the accumulator and can include the compensation shaft and a liquid supply conduit extending between the compensation liquid reservoir and the upper end of the compensation shaft whereby a total hydrostatic pressure at the lower end of the shaft is greater than a hydrostatic pressure at a depth that is equal to the shaft depth.

A method for calculating the remaining usage time of a gas cylinder equipped with a pressure reducer, the method comprising the following steps: (a) measuring the pressure of the gas in the cylin-der; (b) calculating the variation of pressure of the gas in the cylinder over time while gas is out-putted; (c) calculating a remaining usage time Tr based on the measured pressure in the cylinder and the calculated variation of pressure. Step (c) takes into account characteristics of the pressure reducer relative to variations of its nominal flow rate along the decrease of its inlet pressure while emptying the cylinder.

A compressed gas energy storage system may include an accumulator for containing a layer of compressed gas atop a layer of liquid. A gas conduit may have an upper end in communication with a gas compressor/expander subsystem and a lower end in communication with accumulator interior for conveying compressed gas into the compressed gas layer of the accumulator when in use. A shaft may have an interior for containing a quantity of a liquid and may be fluidly connectable to a liquid source/sink via a liquid supply conduit. A partition may cover may separate the accumulator interior from the shaft interior. An internal accumulator force may act on the inner surface of the partition and the liquid within the shaft may exert an external counter force on the outer surface of the partition, whereby a net force acting on the partition is less than the accumulator force.

Pneumatic actuator designed to dispense a predetermined volume of compressed air from a main tank (2) to an outlet (13) of a solenoid valve (4). The actuator comprises a secondary tank designed to contain such predetermined volume of compressed air. The secondary tank is placed in communication with the main tank through a narrow duct (7) having a through-flow section much smaller than that of the outlet (13) of the solenoid valve (4).

A reservoir assembly includes one or more pressure vessels each having a non-circular cross-sectional shape including a rounded rectangle having four generally flat sides with rounded corners. The pressure vessels may be formed of extruded metal, such as aluminum, and have a generally constant cross-section. The pressure vessels include stiffening ribs and varying wall thicknesses to improve strength and to minimize stresses when pressurized, such as during operation when filled with compressed gas. The stiffening ribs meet in the center of each of the pressure vessels and divide the interior volumes into four equal sections. A cap of stamped aluminum is fitted and fully welded to enclose each end of the pressure vessels. One or both of the caps on each of the pressure vessels has a pressure fitting. Two or more pressure vessels extend parallel to one another and are attached together to form the reservoir assembly.

A valve assembly having a housing and a valve, the valve being disposed within the housing, a first indexed member integral to the housing, the first indexed member adapted to be complementary to a second indexed member, and a radio frequency identification device adapted to communicate with a radio frequency receiver, the valve being configured to align with a canister, seal the canister and open in a single movement. A drug containment device having said valve assembly is also disclosed.

A pressure vessel assembly includes a vessel including a wall defining a chamber and a circumferentially continuous lip projecting into the chamber from the wall. The lip defines a through-bore in fluid communication with the chamber. A nozzle assembly including a tube and a flange projecting radially outward from the tube. The tube includes a first portion projecting from the flange and through the through-bore and an opposite second portion projecting outward from the flange. The flange is in contact with the wall and the first portion includes an outer surface having a contour configured to produce sealing friction between the lip and the outer surface.

The invention is a reservoir for the storage of a pressurized fluid such as compressed air. In particular, the reservoir comprises at least one tube formed of an arrangement of concentric layers (C1, C2, C3, C4). This arrangement comprises, working from the inside toward the outside of the tube, an internal layer (C1) formed of concrete, a layer (C2) formed of steel of thickness E, at least one layer (C3) formed by a winding of steel wires (C3″) on a sublayer (C3′) of concrete, and an external layer (C4) which protects the wires against at least one of physical and chemical damage, and in which the wires are subjected to circumferential (hoop) tensile prestress with at least one of the thickness E and the prestress being rated to withstand the pressure of pressurized fluid.

Application notably to the storage and recovery of energy using compressed air.