Cooling facility and method

A facility for cooling a flow of cryogenic fluid comprising:

• a first circuit for fluid to be cooled;
• a cryogenic refrigerator with a cycle circuit;
• at least one heat exchanger providing heat exchange with the first circuit for fluid to be cooled and the cycle circuit of the refrigerator;
• a second circuit for a second fluid to be liquefied, for example nitrogen gas and/or oxygen gas, the second fluid circuit being in heat exchange with the cycle circuit of the refrigerator in at least one heat exchanger of the facility;
• the facility comprising a source of gas to be liquefied connected to the second fluid circuit;
• and
• a source of liquid cryogenic fluid connected to an upstream end of the first fluid circuit, for example a source of liquid nitrogen and/or liquid hydrogen;
• a network of superconducting cable conduits cooled by a flow of a cryogenic liquid selected from the group consisting of liquid nitrogen, liquid oxygen, and combinations thereof, said flow of cryogenic liquid being configured to pass through the first fluid circuit in order to cool the first fluid circuit;
• and
• a plurality of heat exchangers in series providing heat exchange between the second fluid circuit and the cycle circuit and at least one heat exchanger in heat exchange with the cycle circuit and comprising separate respective passages for the first fluid circuit and the second fluid circuit within the same heat exchange body,
• wherein the facility is configured so as to be switchable into a first cooling operating mode, in which the facility cools the first fluid circuit in order to cool a liquefied fluid, or into a second liquefaction operating mode, in which the facility cools the second fluid circuit in order to liquefy a gas flow.