Recently, China has achieved a major breakthrough in the research and development of compressed air energy storage(CAES) technology . Developed jointly by the Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences(IET, CAS) and ZHONG-CHU-GUO-NENG(BEIJING)TECHNOLOGY CO.,LTD., the world’s first CAES compressor with the largest single unit power has successfully passed the third-party testing accredited by CNAS. According to the test results, the compressor achieved maximum discharge pressure of 10.1MPa, a maximum power output of 101MW and an operating range of 38.7% to 118.4% under variable conditions and an efficiency of 88.1% at maximum discharge pressure, reaching an internationally leading level.
The compressor is one of the most critical core components of a compressed air energy storage system. During the energy storage process, it will compress the atmospheric pressure air to high-pressure state and store it in gasometers, converting electric energy to pressure energy and thermal energy of the air. Through independent innovation, the research team overcame key technical challenges including overall system design and optimization, full 3-Dimensional flow optimization, long rotor complex shafting structure design and high-efficiency variable operating condition control, successfully developing the world’s first CAES compressor with a single unit power exceeding 100MW, featuring fully independent intellectual property rights. Compared with existing CAES compressors, its single-unit power has increased by more than 100%, unit costs have been significantly reduced and it offers advantages including high efficiency, high pressure and a wide operating range.
The Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences has been a pioneer in China’s CAES research since 2005. Through continuous efforts for over 20 years, it originally proposed new principles for advanced compressed air energy storage, developed several critical technologies including system design for full operating conditions system design, wide-load compressors, high-efficiency compact heat exchangers and high-load expanders; It has established a comprehensive R&D and design system covering “system design-key components-integrated control; it has also taken the lead in building national demonstration projects for 1.5MW-10MW-300MW advanced CAES. The successful development of the CAES marks an important milestone of world compressed air energy storage technology, which will drive the technology to a new level.
The above work was supported by projects including Chinese Academy of Sciences Strategic Priority Research Program (Category A), National Key Research and Development Program of China and National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Young Scientists Fund (Category A), among others .
Looking ahead, ZHONG-CHU-GUO-NENG will actively promote the application of this compressor and continue to enhance its capabilities in technological innovation, manufacturing, and engineering implementation. Through the transformation and wider application of major scientific and technological equipment achievements, the company aims to deliver high-end equipment with higher efficiency, better performance, and lower costs, thereby driving high-quality industrial development and supporting China’s energy transformation and sustainable development of regional economies.
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Exhibitions: April 1-3, 2026
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