« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: Air Energy  (Read 2067 times)

BoL

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 1211
    • View Profile
Air Energy
« on: November 07, 2020, 10:36:39 AM »
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-54841528

Quote
Work is beginning on what is thought to be the world's first major plant to store energy in the form of liquid air.

It will use surplus electricity from wind farms at night to compress air so hard that it becomes a liquid at -196 Celsius.

Then when there is a peak in demand in a day or a month, the liquid air will be warmed so it expands.

The resulting rush of air will drive a turbine to make electricity, which can be sold back to the grid.

The 50MW facility near Manchester will store enough power for roughly 50,000 homes.

The system was devised by Peter Dearman, a self-taught backyard inventor from Hertfordshire, and it has been taken to commercial scale with a £10m grant from the UK government.
Logged

ukgimp

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2241
    • View Profile
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2020, 01:41:57 PM »
I would not fancy living next to that.
Logged

Rupert

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3359
  • George in a previous life.
    • View Profile
    • SuitsMen
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #2 on: November 07, 2020, 03:06:17 PM »
Quote
I would not fancy living next to that.
   

Its only air, not nuclear... or petrol.
Logged
... Make sure you live before you die.

rcjordan

  • I'm consulting the authorities on the subject
  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 16426
  • Debbie says...
    • View Profile
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #3 on: November 07, 2020, 03:43:20 PM »
I'm with gimp. At that pressure, it would be the near-equal of a small nuclear blast.

Here is the US, small, 40gallon (150L) electric water heaters have exploded and left nothing of the house except the foundation.  These were not gas explosions but thermal blasts caused by the pressure-relief valve failing or being disabled.

https://bethepro.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Water-Heater-Destruction1-1.jpg
Logged

ergophobe

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 9325
    • View Profile
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #4 on: November 07, 2020, 11:11:21 PM »
It's all a question of how much energy is stored in any one container and what protections there are against chain reactions. As Rupert said, imagine devoting as much land to this as to a nuclear plant or a tank farm or any number of other things that can blow. Or imagine living downstream of a dam. Many people do without even thinking about it.

Everything has it's risks and all in all, a tank farm that runs the risk of an air leak seems like a good option.
Logged

ukgimp

  • Global Moderator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2241
    • View Profile
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #5 on: November 08, 2020, 09:04:43 AM »
I get the concept :-)

I’ll just choose not to live near one. Same as I avoid houses with powerlines overhead.

That storage unit in Beirut was also considered safe.
Logged

Rupert

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 3359
  • George in a previous life.
    • View Profile
    • SuitsMen
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2020, 01:19:26 PM »
As is oldbury nuclear power station.  Its only about 15km from the centre of Bristol.  Always tickles me that.  No one in Bristol seems very aware of it. although they started decommissioning in 2012.

I would not buy a house right next to a gas filling station either, probably more likey to go bank, I suspect an air compressing station might be noisy, and thats why I might not want to be near it.  Risk wise, I do think its liklley low.

We do need more of them. Next to micro nuclear power stations like the ones Rolls Royce are talking about :)
Logged
... Make sure you live before you die.

Brad

  • Inner Core
  • Hero Member
  • *
  • Posts: 4163
  • What, me worry?
    • View Profile
Re: Air Energy
« Reply #7 on: November 08, 2020, 02:16:24 PM »
I never really thought of this before but we have a plant in town that cracks air down into the separate gasses. Oxygen is the biggie which gets piped to the steel mills for the Basic Oxygen Furnaces, plus medical grade oxygen for hospitals which goes by truck.  Anyway there are huge earthen berms (nicely landscaped) around all 4 sides of the plant.  Looking at them, these are far thicker and taller than one would need just to visually hide the plant.  (There's no hiding the 3 tall cracking towers.)  I suppose all that oxygen poses a a big risk should it ignite - hence the berms.

Under normal conditions they are a pretty clean industry: no smoke stacks and no release of weird chemicals. no waterway pollution, etc.  Oh, and all those grassy, partially wooded berms make the parameter of the plant into a huge deer preserve.  Inside the fence the deer are safe and they know it.
Logged
Pages: [1]
« previous next »