SMALL-SCALE ENERGY EXTRACTION FOR COMPRESSED AIR ENERGY STORAGE USING POSITIVE DISPLACEMENT RADIAL AIR MOTOR

Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) provides a unique and environmentally friendly solution to problems posed with other renewable energy systems. Solar and wind have peak generation times that do not correspond to peak usage times. Using CAES allows for the storage of that excess energy to be used later or to charge battery/capacitor banks when solar and wind are not available. Manufacture and maintenance of compressed air (CA) systems is inexpensive and CA infrastructure already exists through pneumatic tool and control systems. CAES systems range in size from the large scale (hundreds of megawatts) to the microscale (3 kilowatts). Micro to small-scale applications are ideal for existing system or microgrid integration and field mobility. Various methods of prime movers may be used in CAES generation plants, including turbines and different types of positive displacement motors. Small and microscale units will work with turbines but have difficulty with using large volumes of air with low torque generation. This thesis explored the use of a positive displacement air motor as the prime mover with a commercially available 3-phase motor repurposed as a generator to charge a super-capacitor, while all were fitted inside of a small, easily transportable container. http://archive.org/details/smallscaleenergy1094564910 Outstanding Thesis Lieutenant, United States Navy Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.