Development of integrated liquid air energy storage systems based on air separation units using waste energy from power plant: A case study of South Korea

Abstract

Power consumption has been rising gradually as technology has developed. It is necessary that power generation using renewable energy that does rarely emit carbon. An air separation unit that separates air into nitrogen, oxygen, and argon is used in a variety of industries, including steel mills and chemical plants, which demand pure gas. In order to feed pure gas to the industrial complex utilizing stored air and produce power at the same time, the air separation unit is combined with a liquid air energy storage system. This study used a process simulation program to develop a model aiming to integrate an air separation unit and a liquid air energy storage system using waste energy produced by a liquefied natural gas power plant. According to a Korean case study, the levelized cost of electricity of the integrated process is $320/MWh, which is about $51/MWh less than the levelized cost of electricity of the current liquid air energy storage system. Through this study, it is expected that carbon emissions can be significantly decreased by supplying the Korea petrochemical complex with the pure gas it needs to meet its 5.6% mandated renewable energy supply power need. © 2023 Elsevier B.V.