In a cryogenic combined cycle power plant electric power drives a cryogenic refrigerator to store energy by cooling air to a liquid state for storage within tanks, followed by subsequent release of the stored energy by first pressurizing the liquid air, then regasifying the liquid air and raising the temperature of the regasified air at least in part with heat exhausted from a combustion turbine, and then expanding the heated regasified air through a hot gas expander to generate power. The expanded regasified air exhausted from the expander may be used to cool and make denser the inlet air to the combustion turbine. The combustion turbine exhaust gases may be used to drive an organic Rankine bottoming cycle. An alternative source of heat such as thermal storage, for example, may be used in place of or in addition to the combustion turbine.

The present invention discloses a liquid air storage device, including a storage tank, a gas circulation outlet pipe, a gas circulation inlet pipe, and a pump. An input end of the gas circulation outlet pipe communicates with the lower part of an inner cavity of the storage tank, an output end of the gas circulation outlet pipe communicates with an input end of the pump, an output end of the pump communicates with an input end of the gas circulation inlet pipe, and an output end of the gas circulation inlet pipe communicates with the upper part of the inner cavity of the storage tank. The present invention further discloses a liquid air storage method and an air liquefaction apparatus that use the foregoing liquid air storage device.

Power recovery sub-systems, cryogenic energy storage systems, and methods of capturing, storing, and re-using thermal energy are disclosed.

Various embodiments include an apparatus for liquefying gas comprising: an inlet for a pressurized gas; a countercurrent heat exchanger with a first channel for the pressurized gas to flow in a first direction; an expansion nozzle, such that the pressurized gas flows from the first channel into the nozzle, and flows out to form an aerosol comprising a gaseous phase and liquid droplets; an aerosol breaker separating at least some of the droplets out of the gaseous phase; a collecting region for gathering and collecting droplets dripping off the aerosol breaker; and a second channel of the countercurrent heat exchanger surrounding the first channel. The flow of the gaseous phase out of the expansion nozzle is colder compared to the gas flowing through the second channel in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The second channel surrounds the first channel. The apparatus comprises a monolithic structure.

A method for liquid air and gas energy storage (LAGES) which integrates the processes of liquid air energy storage (LAES) and regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the import terminal through the exchange of thermal energy between the streams of air and natural gas (NG) in their gaseous and liquid states and includes harnessing the LNG as an intermediate heat carrier between the air streams being regasified and liquefied, recovering a compression heat from air liquefier for LNG regasification and utilizing a cold thermal energy of liquid air being regasified for reliquefaction of a part of send-out NG stream with its return to LNG terminal.

A system and a method for processing air prior to separating components of the air are disclosed. The system comprises an air cooler, one or more compression stages operated in series, and one or more intercoolers installed between two adjacent compression stages. A blowdown storage tank is configured to collect water blowdown from one or more intercoolers and provide cooling medium to the air cooler. Atmospheric air is first sprayed by the water blowdown in the air cooler to form a cooled air stream. The cooled air stream is subsequently compressed in the one or more compression stages and cooled by the intercoolers between two adjacent compression stages. The water blowdown from one or more of the intercoolers is collected and recycled as the cooling medium to cool the atmospheric air before it enters the first compression stage.

Apparatus, systems, and methods store energy by liquefying a gas such as air, for example, and then recover the energy by regasifying the cryogenic liquid and combusting or otherwise reacting the gas with a fuel to drive a heat engine. Carbon may be captured from the heat engine exhaust by using the cryogenic liquid to freeze carbon dioxide out of the exhaust. The process of liquefying the gas may be powered with electric power from the grid, for example, and the heat engine may be used to generate electricity. Hence, in effect these apparatus, systems, and methods may provide for storing electric power from the grid and then subsequently delivering it back to the grid.

A method for liquid air and gas energy storage (LAGES) which integrates the processes of liquid air energy storage (LAES) and regasification of liquefied natural gas (LNG) at the Floating Storage, Regasification and Power (FSRP) facilities through the exchange of thermal energy between the streams of air and natural gas (NG) in their gaseous and liquid states and includes recovering a compression heat from air liquefier and low-grade waste heat of power train for LNG regasification with use of an intermediate heat carrier between the air and LNG streams and utilizing a cold thermal energy of liquid air being regasified for increase in LAGES operation efficiency through using a semi-closed CO.sub.2 bottoming cycle.

The present disclosure provides a supercritical compressed air energy storage system. The supercritical compressed air energy storage system includes a supercritical liquefaction subsystem, an evaporation and expansion subsystem, a staged cryogenic storage subsystem, a heat storage and heat exchange subsystem, and a cryogenic energy compensation subsystem, the staged cryogenic storage subsystem being used for implementing the staged storage and release of cryogenic energy, improving efficiency of recovering cryogenic energy during energy release and energy storage, and thereby improving cycle efficiency of the system. The present disclosure does not need to provide any inputs of additional cryogenic energy and heat energy input externally, and has the advantages of high cycle efficiency, low cost, independent operation, environmental friendliness, and no limitation on terrain conditions, and it is suitable for large-scale commercial applications.

A method for energy storage which integrates charging a liquid in an energy storage facility through consumption of a power from the grid with reduction pressure of natural gas through expander at the co-located city gate station and includes recovery of mechanical power of the natural gas expander and cold thermal energy of the expanded natural gas for an increase in production of liquid air per each kW of low-demand power consumed from the grid during off-peak hours.