Abstract

This study conducts a comparative life cycle assessment of two different types of cooling systems for a 1 km long, 10 kV concentric three-phase high-temperature superconducting cable. In an open cooling system, the required cooling energy is provided by evaporating liquid nitrogen in a subcooler resulting in a constant loss of liquid nitrogen. As a consequence, liquid nitrogen must constantly be reproduced and transported to the cooling unit. Alternatively, a closed cooling system can be used in which liquid nitrogen is electrically re-cooled using a cryocooler. This results in a higher on-site electricity consumption but simultaneously removes any liquid nitrogen losses. It is shown that the use of a closed cooling system does not only reduce the total system losses but also improves the environmental performance by 4–24% depending on the examined environmental impact category. If the cryocooler is powered by renewable energies only, the environmental savings can be increased even further.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.