> This company has their own proprietary heavy fluid called R-19. Their formula isn't public, but presumably they understand the success of their company depends on it being affordable.
That assumes they plan to ever deliver anything real. There are very few substances cheaper per unit mass than water, and I would not take on faith that something that isn't even being mass produced yet could ever possibly compete.
> It means that, if pumped storage starts to look worth it to you (given budget, etc.) with tanks of size V and a height difference of H, then with their system it might be worth it if the tallest hill available to you is H/2.5.
That's not how turbines work. Pressure head is independent of volume.
> Or you can keep the height the same and reduce the volume. Or keep both the same and increase the storage. The point is that they claim to offer a better trade-off.
And I am saying that I do not believe their claim that they offer a better trade off.
> That's not how turbines work. Pressure head is independent of volume.
I'm not talking about pressure head. I'm talking about energy storage. If everything is held constant (reservoir volume, height difference) but the density of the fluid changes, then the energy stored changes. Because gravitational potential energy is E = mgh. And m = volume * density.
But since you mentioned pressure head, if volume changes, it doesn't affect pressure. But if the fluid density changes (and all else is equal), then that DOES affect pressure. That's why if you measure pressure in mmHg you will get a different number than if you measure it in mmH2O. So if you took a pumped hydro storage system and drained the water out and replaced it with denser fluid, the fluid would press harder on the turbine.
That assumes they plan to ever deliver anything real. There are very few substances cheaper per unit mass than water, and I would not take on faith that something that isn't even being mass produced yet could ever possibly compete.
> It means that, if pumped storage starts to look worth it to you (given budget, etc.) with tanks of size V and a height difference of H, then with their system it might be worth it if the tallest hill available to you is H/2.5.
That's not how turbines work. Pressure head is independent of volume.
> Or you can keep the height the same and reduce the volume. Or keep both the same and increase the storage. The point is that they claim to offer a better trade-off.
And I am saying that I do not believe their claim that they offer a better trade off.