Recently, the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made a significant breakthrough in compressed air energy storage (CAES) technology. The world’s first and highest single-unit power CAES compressor, jointly developed by the Institute and Zhongchu Guoneng (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd., has passed third-party testing certified by CNAS.
Test results indicate that the compressor achieves a maximum exhaust pressure of 10.1 MPa, a maximum power output of 101 MW, an operational range from 38.7% to 118.4% of its rated capacity, and an efficiency of 88.1% at its peak pressure—all metrics representing internationally leading performance.
The compressor is one of the most critical core components of a CAES system. Its primary function during the energy storage phase is to compress ambient air to a high-pressure state and store it in a reservoir, thereby converting electrical energy into pressure and thermal energy of the air.
Through independent innovation, the research team overcame key technical challenges, including overall system design and optimization, full three-dimensional flow optimization, design of long-rotor complex shaft structures, and efficient control under varying operational conditions. This led to the successful development of the world’s first CAES compressor with a single-unit power exceeding 100 MW, which possesses complete independent intellectual property rights.
Compared to existing CAES compressors, this unit more than doubles the single-unit power capacity, significantly reduces unit costs, and offers advantages such as higher efficiency, greater pressure capability, and a wider operational range.
