Role of nanocryogenic fluids in optimizing the thermohydraulic characteristics of high temperature superconducting (HTS) cables with entropy generation minimization strategy

Abstract

High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) Cables are rapidly developing to replace the conventional conductors in the power transmission sector. Similarly, allied cooling technologies are also being proposed recently. However, reducing the circulating pumping power and increasing the cooling capacity are still remaining as challenges for many researchers. In the present work, a novel cooling method is proposed with Liquid Nitrogen (LN2) as base fluid and Al2O3, SiC, SiO2 and TiO2 as nanoparticles added to the base fluid forming a Nanocryogenic fluid. Further, the hydraulic characteristics such as pressure drop, pumping power and friction factors are estimated with the turbulent flow of nanocryogenic fluid. In addition, heat transfer characteristics such as temperature profiles, cooling capacity and Nusselt Numbers are estimated. Finally, Entropy generation in HTS cables due to the flow of Nanocryogenic fluid is estimated. Moreover, the entropy generation minimization technique is used to optimise the thermohydraulic characteristics.A computational model of HTS cable developed in commercial Software (ANSYSⓇ) is considered for the thermohydraulic analysis. Experimental boundary conditions are used on the computational model so that the results of simulations could be validated. It was found that agreeable results are obtained along with the achievement of higher thermohydraulic performance of HTS cables at lower flow rates in Entropy Generation perspective.