Thermodynamic analysis on the feasibility of a liquid energy storage system using CO₂-based mixture as the working fluid

Pioneering investigation is conducted on the feasibility of designing novel liquid energy storage system by using working fluid blending CO₂ with organic fluids to address the condensation problem of subcritical CO₂. Organic substances are cautiously screened according to the criteria of environment effect, temperature glide, critical temperature and flammability of working fluid as well as the system performance. Mathematical model of the system is built for thermodynamic examination. An in-house code is developed to complete the system simulations combing with REFPROP subroutine. Results demonstrate that compared to the system with pure CO₂, the system with mixture produces an improvement of net power output and energy density and a reduction of charge pressure at an expense of slightly decreasing round trip efficiency. The payment of 6.45 % for round trip efficiency can reduce 55.59 % of charge pressure by taking CO₂/R32 as an instance. The system round trip efficiency, energy density and charge pressure decrease with the increase in organic fluid composition. An optimal compression ratio can be identified to reach a maximal round trip efficiency for all mixtures. The cooler outlet temperature is suggested being at the critical temperature of working fluid to reach better system performance.