Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) is a way to store energy generated at one time for use at another time. At utility scale, energy generated during periods of low energy demand (off-peak) can be released to meet higher demand (peak load) periods. The storage vessel is often an underground cavern created by solution mining (salt is dissolved in water for extraction) or by utilizing an abandoned mine.
Large compression systems have been and are being developed to operate these storage/generation facilities. The compression systems in many cases are operated by hydraulic power and require high operating volumes of hydraulic fluid, a long life, and low leakage. These hydraulic systems would use hydraulic valving capable of handling this high volume of fluid flow with rapid actuation speeds.
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