As energy needs increase, so does the load on the country’s energy infrastructure, much of which is rapidly aging. However, one company has found a way to keep power lines cool while transmitting heavy loads using liquid nitrogen.
VEIR, a superconducting power solutions company, has partnered with National Grid on a solution that could keep lines cool through superconducting tape (which allows lines to transmit more power) and nitrogen-powered cooling technology. Basically, the tape can be made into a cable that is placed inside of a vacuum-insulated pipe. The pipe is filled with liquid nitrogen, surrounding the cable to keep temperatures down.
While VEIR’s technology seems similar to other superconducting cooling solutions, its approach is different because it involves installing a device every few kilometers so nitrogen can evaporate and cool the pipe instead of using compression pumps to circulate the liquid nitrogen.
According to VEIR, not only is this new technology more energy-efficient, but it also reduces the amount of physical space needed to transmit large energy loads. This game-changing technology could help large energy users like data storage centers meet their production goals without overheating.
VEIR and National Grid are currently working on a prototype in the lab and could have something ready within the next five years. The project is expected to handle five to 10 times the load of conventional transmission lines.
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