EU-Project RICAS2020 ─ Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage

The Design Study RICAS2020 aims to create an underground research infrastructure for AA-CAES (Advanced Adiabatic Compressed Air Energy Storage) and focuses on R&D of:

• Thermal interaction between the surrounding rock or soil, the lining materials behaviour and the pressure of the stored compressed air.
• Resource-efficient environmental friendly excavation and cutting technologies for rock and soil, to be able to build large underground storage caverns even close to highly populated areas without producing noise and vibration.
• Dimensioning large underground storage caverns in various ground types using powerful 3D-numerical simulation tools which will be evaluated with underground 1:1 scale tests.
• Economical advanced materials resistant to the extraordinary high pressure conditions up to 50 bar and high temperature of up to 800°C.
• Principles for equalization of working pressures during compression and expansion of gases for substantially increased efficiency of air storage cycles.
• Operational safety aspects for high-pressure storage of inert gases in underground structures.
• Modelling of compressed air flows.
• System integration.

More information at external page http://www.ricas2020.eu/

Project-related Publications