Author(s): Giacomo Zanetti; Francesco Nascimben; Giovanna Cavazzini
Linked Author(s):
Keywords: No Keywords
Abstract: The rapid penetration of intermittent renewable energy sources is increasing the need for flexible and reliable large-scale energy storage solutions (Suberu et al. 2014). Pumped hydro energy storage (PHES) remains the most mature and efficient technology, yet its deployment is strongly constrained by geographical requirements such as large elevation differences and extensive reservoir volumes (Ammar et al. 2021) (Abdellatif et al. 2019). To address these limitations, an industrial innovation has recently introduced the concept of high-density fluids (HDFs) for pumped storage applications. In particular, RheEnergise has developed the proprietary fluid R-19 (RheEnergise), a non-Newtonian suspension with a density about 2.5 times higher than water, specifically engineered to increase the energy density of PHES systems and thereby reduce the required infrastructure size. By increasing the storable energy per unit volume and reducing the required head and flow rate, high-density fluid concepts also open up the possibility of repurposing sites that are currently not economically attractive for conventional PHES, such as disused mines, quarry pits, or reservoirs characterized by low head differences. This greatly broadens the range of potentially suitable locations, especially in regions where topographical constraints limit the deployment of traditional pumped-storage schemes. The fluid will soon be tested in a dedicated 500 kW demonstrator plant currently under construction in the UK, marking the first real-world implementation of a high-density–fluid pumped-storage system.
Year: 2026