China completes test on 100 MW compressed air energy storage expander

BEIJING -- China has completed the integration test of its first 100 MW advanced compressed air energy storage expander, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

As a key core component of the storage system, the multistage high-load expander has qualified all test results, pushing the country's compressed air energy storage technology to a higher level, said its developer, the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics (IET) under the CAS.

The compressed air energy storage system has excellent development potential bearing advantages of large-scale storage, low cost, high efficiency and environmental friendliness.

Previously, the IET made breakthroughs in key technologies, including multistage high-load compressor and expander, as well as high-efficiency supercritical heat storage and heat exchange, said the institute.

The development of the new expander started in 2017. The institute developed the 1.5 MW and 10 MW advanced compressed air energy storage systems in 2013 and 2016, respectively.