Cryongenic cooling refrigeration system and method having open-loop short term cooling for a superconducting machine
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsEvangelos Trifon Laskaris, Robert Adolph Ackermann, Yu Wang
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Abstract
A cooling fluid system is disclosed for providing cryogenic cooling fluid to a high temperature super-conducting machine, wherein said system includes a main cooling system (52, 88) and a second cooling system, said second cooling system comprising a storage device having a first cryogenic fluid; at least one cooling coupling in fluid communication with the first cryogenic fluid from the storage device and a second cryogenic fluid flowing through the main cooling system.
Claims24
A cooling fluid system for providing cryogenic cooling fluid to an apparatus, wherein said system includes a main cooling system and a second cooling system, said second cooling system comprising:
- a storage device having a first cryogenic fluid;
- at least one cooling coupling in fluid communication with the first cryogenic fluid flowing from the storage device and with a second cryogenic fluid flowing through the main cooling system, and
- said second cooling system has a first operational mode during which the first cryogenic fluid does not flow through the at least one cooling coupling, and a second operational mode during which the first cryogenic fluid does flow through the at least one cooling coupling,
- wherein said second cooling system is switched from the first operational mode to the second operational mode while said main cooling system is disabled.
A cooling fluid system coupled to a high temperature super-conducting rotor for a synchronous machine, said system comprising:
- a main cooling system further comprising:
- a re-circulation compressor;
- an inlet line providing a fluid passage for a second cooling fluid flowing from the re-circulation compressor to the rotor, wherein the inlet line passes through a cold head unit;
- a temporary cooling system further comprising:
- a storage tank for a first cryogen fluid;
- at least one heat exchanger in fluid communication with said storage tank and said inlet line, and
- a valve between the tank and at least one heat exchanger, said valve having an open position allowing the first cryogen fluid to flow from the tank to the at least one heat exchanger and a closed position isolating the first cryogen fluid from the at least one heat exchanger,
- wherein the open position of the valve is selected when the cold head unit is disabled and said closed position is selected when the cold head unit is operating to cool the second cryogen cooling fluid.
A method for cooling a super-conducting machine using a main cooling system and a temporary cooling system, comprising the steps of:
- a. storing a first cryogenic cooling fluid in said temporary cooling system;
- b. circulating a second cryogenic cooling fluid between said main cooling system and said machine to cryogenically cool superconducting components of the machine;
- c. cooling the second cryogenic cooling fluid with a cooling unit in said main cooling system and at the same time thermally isolating the first cryogenic cooling fluid from said second cryogenic cooling fluid;
- d. while said cooling unit is disabled, allowing the first cryogenic cooling fluid to cryogenically cool the second cooling fluid.
A method for cooling a super-conducting winding in a rotor using a main cooling system and a temporary cooling system, comprising the steps of:
- a. storing a first cryogenic cooling fluid in said temporary cooling system;
- b. circulating a second cryogenic cooling fluid between said main cooling system and said machine to cryogenically cool the superconducting winding of the machine;
- c. cooling the second cryogenic cooling fluid with a cooling unit in said main cooling system and while the rotor is in a normal operating mode thermally isolating the first cryogenic cooling fluid from said second cryogenic cooling fluid;
- d. while said rotor is in a cool down mode, allowing the first cryogenic cooling fluid and the cooling unit to both cryogenically cool the second cooling fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.