© 1965 by British Computer Society
The underground storage of compressed air for gas turbines: a dynamic study on an analogue computer
Analogue Studies Group, Computing Branch, R.&D. Dept. C.E.G.B., Friars House, Blackfriars Road, London, UK
The usefulness of a gas-turbine driven alternator for generation of electricity would be enhanced if air could be compressed during the off-peak period for use during the peak period. This analogue study was made to examine the physical behaviour of an underground tunnel used to store the compressed air. The physical system and the analogue are discussed to make it clear what assumptions have been made. Graphs are included to illustrate the results, the most important of which relate to leakage of air through the rock, and the maximum air temperature attained in the tunnel. The air leakage is important because it affects the efficiency of the system, and the maximum air temperature decides the size of tunnel required to hold enough air for a given size of station.
* Analogue Studies Group, Computing Branch, R.&D. Dept. C.E.G.B., Friars House, Blackfriars Road, London, S.E.1.