Overview

• Korea’s KIMM team completed the country’s first air-liquefaction test for energy storage using a system it designed and built in-house.
• The demonstrated setup can produce up to 10 tons of liquid air per day, positioning the technology for scale-up and commercialization.
• A high-speed turbo expander achieved stable rotation above 100,000 RPM using static gas bearings and a thermally insulated hollow shaft.
• The insulated cold box employs multi-layer insulation with an ultra-high vacuum and recycles cold energy from power generation to boost efficiency.
• The core project involved KIMM’s Liquid Hydrogen Technology Research Center and the Gimhae Cryogenic Machinery Demonstration Research Center, with LAES highlighted as a site-flexible option that can leverage industrial cooling and waste heat.