A simple solution with a major impact
The Future Subsea Controllable Cooler (FSCC) solves most of the problems with conventional cooling systems for offshore wind farms. Here are the most important.
A closed-loop, passive and compact system has major advantages over conventional complex, energy-hungry solutions using seawater as a cooling medium.
Here are the main advantages that the FSCC brings to high voltage direct current (HVDC) platforms at offshore wind installations:
1. Low energy consumption, low emissions
No energy needed to power seawater lift pumps, which translates into savings of 6 million kWh and 1,400 tonnes of CO2 per year for one HVDC platform compared to conventional solutions.
2. Low maintenance
The risk of particles, debris and marine growth clogging the cooling system is eliminated as seawater is not used as cooling medium. Together with the removal of the chemicals dosing system and heavy-duty rotating equipment, this dramatically cuts the maintenance needs.
3. Low cost
A smaller and less complex cooling system reduces investment costs by 30%. Low energy use and low maintenance requirements cut operating costs by 75%.
4. Zero discharge of chemicals
There is no need for the use of chemicals to control marine growth in the closed-loop cooling system. This results in zero discharge of potentially harmful chemicals to sea.
