【Ten Years of Rapid Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment】Successful Application of Large-Sized Air Energy Storage Packers from 2012 to 2025
Thread Content
This post was last edited by FishSwimmingInTheDesert on 2025-7-8 at 21:45. Let’s give a thumbs up and encouragement to the achievements made in China’s chemical engineering technology and equipment. Your participation in the discussion is the greatest motivation for us. ********************** [Ten Years of Great Development in Chemical Engineering Equipment] This is a continuously updated summary thread; everyone is welcome to join the discussion: https://bbs.hcbbs.com/thread-3576046-1-1.html ***************** Compressed air energy storage requires high-pressure air to be injected into underground salt caverns. The air energy storage packer acts like a \"sealing valve,\" enabling the sealing and isolation of salt caverns from injection and production wells, preventing compressed air leakage and protecting the structure of these wells. According to a report from June 2, 2025, the 13-3/8 inch air energy storage packer developed by Sihua Company, a subsidiary of Petrochemical Machinery, was used for the first time at a 300-megawatt compressed air energy storage demonstration plant in Feicheng, Shandong Province. It provides essential sealing capabilities for underground salt cavern energy storage wells. Designed specifically for energy storage wells that require ultra-long service life and large diameters, it utilizes Seva’s unique adaptive sealing technology along with corrosion-resistant alloy materials, enabling long-term reliable sealing under cyclic injection and production conditions. This approach solves the problem of sealing failure associated with traditional packers under frequent pressure fluctuations. The 13-3/8 inch large-size casing designed for this purpose significantly improves airflow efficiency; it was successfully seated at a depth of 965.78 meters below the surface, and after a 15-minute pressure stabilization test under rated load conditions, there was no leakage. The project team at COSL determined that the 13-3/8 inch air storage packer can significantly reduce the maintenance costs of storage wells, and it fully meets the application requirements of such wells, which involve zero leakage and a long service life.
On July 2, reporters learned from the China National Petroleum Engineering Technology Research Institute that the institute’s R&D team for energy storage packers successfully completed the installation of large-size energy storage packers for the Jiangsu Guoxin Suyan Energy Storage project, and tests conducted after installation showed no leaks over a period of 15 minutes. The large-size energy storage packers of the \"Kunlun·Linglong\" series developed by CNPC Research Institute, which were successfully applied this time, are core equipment designed by the Chinese Academy of Engineering specifically for the extreme operating conditions in salt-cave CAES wells – such as high-flow, high-frequency injection and production cycles, as well as corrosion caused by high-pressure oxygen. To ensure the smooth progress of the project, the R&D team responsible for energy storage packers worked ahead to address related challenges. By optimizing the assembly process of the packers and using high-viscosity sealing grease, they were able to effectively prevent scaling in the well, ensuring that the packers could be installed safely and reliably even after a long period of waiting. A specialized ball-throwing tool has been innovatively developed, which significantly simplifies the operation process, greatly reduces the time required for sealing as well as the waiting time for pressure relief at the wellhead, thereby improving operational efficiency and safety. At the same time, this pitching tool is equipped with a real-time wellhead pressure recording function, which enables accurate determination of the activation and setting actions of the packer. At present, the CNPC Research Institute’s \"Kunlun·Linglong\" series of large-size energy storage packers comes in two mature models. Their excellent sealing and corrosion resistance meet the technical requirements for well completion equipment in current large-scale compressed air energy storage projects under construction in China.
Kudos to the development of chemical equipment in our country!
Sinopec and CNPC each develop their own systems – is this a waste or competition?
China’s chemical technology and equipment are amazing!
Successful application of large-size air energy storage packers