Meeting of the HESS project members

On June 24.06, 2025, a meeting of the project entitled “Hybrid energy storage system using post-mining infrastructure” (HESS) was held at the ITPE headquarters. It was attended by representatives of all consortium members.

The results of the implementation of the WP.3., WP4 and WP5 were presented by PhD Piotr Matusiak (KOMAG), PhD Michał Jurczyk (SUT) and M.Sc. Konrad Kołodziej (SUT), confirming the achievement of three project milestones in June 2025, namely:

MS.2. – “Parameters of the underground power generation unit and water pumping system”

MS.4. – “Instructions for compressed gases storage in mine shafts”

MS.6. – “Numerical model validation of TES system”.

MS2 – Parameters of the underground power generation unit and water pumping system

As a result of the performed computational and conceptual work, a VOITH Vertical Pelton turbine type PV3i-790-160 5.8 MW was selected for installation in shaft II of the Budryk mine.

For the conditions at Budryk mine shaft II, the turbine will be installed at a depth of 950 m. The capacity of the lower reservoir will therefore be 12,719 m³ (between 957 and 1157 m depth). The theoretical storage capacity is 23 MWh so the milestone condition is met. The return transport of the water driving the turbine will be carried out through the existing dewatering system of the Budryk mine.

MS – Instructions for compressed gases storage in mine shafts

As part of WP4, complete operational guidelines have been developed for the energy storage of compressed air (CAES) and compressed CO₂ (CCES) in post-mining shafts, each for systems with a capacity of at least 10 MWh. These documents take into account the results of geomechanical modelling of the shaft casing, particularly the impact of storage operation on shaft integrity, laboratory testing of shaft samples (permeability and strength), analysis of reinforcing and sealing materials, and the assessment of cyclic gas loads.

The milestone confirms the implementation part of tasks T4.1 and T4.2 in accordance with the project assumptions. 

MS6 – Numerical model validation of TES system

A numerical model of a Thermal Energy Storage tank was developed and successfully validated using ANSYS Fluent software. The validation was carried out using proprietary experimental data concerning the axial temperature variation of the storage material during the charging stage, as well as the variable air pressure drop. The numerical model, employing dimensionless numbers, enables the simulation of the behavior of a large-scale high-temperature heat storage system. The numerical model achieved agreement with experimental data, with a Root Mean Square Error ranging from 1.9% to 3.6%.