Project Details
Projekt
Cyclical Processes in Underground Pumped Storage Power Plants
Applicants
Professor Florian Amann, Ph.D.; Professor Peter Kukla, Ph.D.; Professor Dr.-Ing. Axel Preuße; Professor Dr.-Ing. Holger Schüttrumpf
Subject Area
Geotechnics, Hydraulic Engineering
Term
since 2021
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 449163970
As part of the energy transition, the German government has set itself the goal of ensuring a reliable, ecologically and economically sustainable energy supply. For this reason, energy generation from renewable energy sources is becoming increasingly important. Its share of gross electricity consumption is to rise to at least 80% by 2050. China became number one worldwide in the production of renewable energies with a total of 1,870 TWh representing 26.7% of the country’s total power consumption. As renewable energies are naturally subject to greater fluctuations than fossil fuels, the energy system transformation will result in a greater need for powerful, decentralized energy storage systems. Compared to other technologies, pumped storage power plants represent an efficient and technically mature form of energy storage. In periods of excess electricity generation, water is pumped from a downstream reservoir to an upstream reservoir where it is stored as local energy. When electricity is needed, the stored water is drained into the downstream reservoir, where the potential energy is converted into electrical energy by turbines and generators. The quantity of electricity generation of pumped storage power plants depends on the discharge of water in the penstock, the volume of water that can be stored and the vertical difference between the up- and downstream reservoir. This explains why the most suitable locations are found in the mountainous regions of southern Germany or China. One alternative possibility for implementing pumped storage facilities close to production and consumption sites are underground constructions such as existing mines or new excavations specifically designed for a pumped storage facility. In addition to the independence from topographical conditions, the advantage is a reduced surficial space requirement, which could be accompanied by greater acceptance among the population. In addition, the vertical difference between the upper and the lower reservoir in former mines is expected to be higher in underground pumped storage power plants (UPSP) resulting in comparable higher energy storage than conventional pumped storage reser-voirs. The objective of the envisaged project is to study the feasibility for utilizing abandoned underground space of coalmines as reservoir for UPSP. This requires detailed hydrogeological, hydro-chemical and rock mechanical stability considerations as well as the analysis of the available underground space. In a second step, the long-term stability of reservoirs in coalmines under cyclical loads is analyzed considering additional rock support, dynamic and cyclical processes associated with plant operations and hydrodynamic processes.
DFG Programme
Research Grants
International Connection
China
Partner Organisation
National Natural Science Foundation of China
