Ming-Hong Chen

We analyzed the performance and financial feasibility of a compressed air energy storage (CAES) system in a potential region in Miaoli County, Taiwan, with the aquifer in the underground structure. We conducted a performance analysis of the system using the commercial software Flownex 9.0. Initially, a model for the Huntorf case in Germany was built, and its performance was compared with others for validation. The calculation results showed a deviation of about 1% in terms of efficiency, confirming the analytical capabilities and accuracy of the model. After verifying the system performance, the scale of output power was adjusted to 2 MW for initial development and subsequent planning. Then, geological characteristics were analyzed using COMSOL to establish a multiphase flow analysis model. This model evaluated the flow rate and pressure required for the operation of the CAES system. Lastly, a financial analysis was conducted based on the obtained results. The cost for system components was estimated, and the levelized cost of the proposed CAES system was evaluated. A comparison with other energy storage technologies was conducted to assess the financial feasibility of the analyzed CAES system.

The Jhongtun wind farm in the area of Penghu Archipelago is studied. The first part of the Jhongtun wind farm has been operated for 19 years, and the second part has been operated for 15 years. It is about time to evaluate the feasibility of this wind farm’s re-powering process to promote its power production. The evaluated AEPs are 82.65 GWh/year and 107.32 GWh/year. With the current deployment, roughly 12% of the power is provided by the wind farm with a 600 kW wind turbine, and its AEP is 11.46 GWh/year. The newly proposed 3 MW wind turbine has the potential to provide 100% of the power needed for the entire Penghu Archipelago.

In the present study, the case study of micro-siting for the campus of the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER) is conducted. Results from the effect of weather data suggest that for the wind turbine system higher than 20 m, the effect of nearby building and wake on electricity production would be less important. The effect of different weather data on the generated annual electricity production (AEP) is consistent for the wind turbine higher than 20 m. The difference between the calculated and real AEP of INER-150 kW wind turbine is only 1.1%, which is much better than some previous studies. The good agreement is mainly due to the higher height of the INER-150 kW (50 m), more stable coming wind and smaller impact of building on the performance of power production. Considering the proactivity on the installation for the site in INER campus, the finalized decision on the selection of wind turbine is 1 kW system. The power generation-related data are collected and processed for the fine tuning of model parameters in the future.

The objective of this study is to implement a tar condensation and re-vaporization sub-model in a previously established Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for the Entrained Slagging Transport Reactor (E-STR) gasifier, modified from the existing E-Gasifier simulation models in previous studies. The major modifications in E-STR, compared to the existing E-Gas^TM design, include higher operating pressure and lower temperature, with the aim of achieving a higher H₂/CO ratio of syngas, which is more favorable for synthetic natural gas (SNG) production. In this study, the aforementioned sub-model is described by the UDF (User-Defined Function) and incorporated in a previously developed computational model for entrained-flow gasification process, to study the syngas composition without implementing a tars-cracking catalyst in the E-STR gasifier. The results show that incorporating the tar condensation model leads to a formation of approximately 6.47% liquid volatiles and an exit temperature increase about 135 K, due to the release of latent heat. These sub-models have been successfully implemented and will be useful in the condition that the gasifier temperature is intentionally kept low, just as the E-STR gasifier. The results indicate that high pressure and less oxygen feed produce a higher H₂/CO ratio, more favorable for SNG production.