Underground energy storage using abandoned oil & gas wells assisted by geothermal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The need for excessive initial investment significantly impedes the commercial development of compressed air energy storage (CAES) projects. However, the reuse of abandoned oil and gas wells (AOGWs) as containment cells for pressurized air obviates this problem and alleviates the many environmental issues caused by AOGWs. We propose a novel geothermal-assisted (GA) compressed air energy storage (GA-CAES) that integrates abundant AOGWs and ubiquitous deep geothermal heat into a single seamless CAES system. The hot reservoir rock heats the air charge within the CAES and increases system efficiency. The performance of GA-CAES using AOGWs is investigated through numerical simulations. According to the simulation results, the utilization of subsurface geothermal heat increases system efficiency. The application of AOGWs with geothermal pre-heat the air by ~160 K. Concurrently, the increase in temperature further pressurizes the air in the well by ~0.5 MPa. The input of geothermal energy increases the system round-trip efficiency by ~9.5 %. This reuse of AOGWs significantly decreases initial investment for such projects and increases system efficiency. The project payback period can be shortened by ~1 year over the usual ~3 years. The presented energy storage system can harness natural geothermal heat, thereby enhancing system efficiency and reducing initial project costs by leveraging existing infrastructure. This novel arrangement can achieve cleaner, more profitable, and more efficient CAES systems that are thus of greater viability.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number115317
JournalJournal of Energy Storage
Volume110
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 28 2025

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment
  • Energy Engineering and Power Technology
  • Electrical and Electronic Engineering

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