Patent ID: 8479505
Filing Date: 2013-07-09
Classification: F15B,H02J,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An energy storage and recovery system comprising: a cylinder assembly for compressing gas to store energy and expanding gas to recover energy, the cylinder assembly comprising (i) first and second chambers and (ii) a movable mechanical boundary mechanism separating the first and second chambers, at least one of the chambers being a pneumatic chamber, whereby the cylinder assembly includes dead space when the boundary mechanism is disposed at a limit of travel within the cylinder assembly; a first mechanism for removably introducing a substantially incompressible fluid into a pneumatic chamber to substantially fill the dead space prior to or during gas compression or expansion; a second mechanism for (i) introducing a gas into the pneumatic chamber and (ii) removing the gas and at least a portion of the substantially incompressible fluid from the pneumatic chamber; a second cylinder assembly comprising (i) first and second chambers and (ii) a movable mechanical boundary mechanism separating the first and second chambers, at least one of the chambers being a pneumatic chamber; a conduit for fluidly connecting the pneumatic chamber of the cylinder assembly with a pneumatic chamber of the second cylinder assembly, at least a portion of the conduit constituting dead space during compression or expansion of gas in the cylinder assembly and the second cylinder assembly; and a third mechanism for introducing substantially incompressible fluid into the conduit to substantially fill the dead space therein.