The FSCC is a compact, passive and closed-loop system that can be tailored to individual project needs and requires little maintenance. It can be installed at existing and new offshore wind farms.

Conventional cooling systems use large lift pumps to supply seawater for the cooling of power converter systems on HVDC platforms.

Can run with existing installations

FSCC can be installed to replace conventional cooling systems both on new and existing HVDC platforms.

It is relatively straight forward to integrate FSCC into an existing cooling loop. The passive subsea cooler sits on the seabed, and the cooling loop can be connected to an existing converter platform or other installation that requires cooling.

Further savings in the future

Future installations could benefit from having convertor platforms designed for the FSCC solution from scratch.

The topside equipment footprint requirements for an FSCC cooling solution are considerably lower than for a seawater pump system.

Hence, an HVDC platform with FSCC cooling could be downsized which gives energy savings and reduces the environmental impact from fabrication and installation.

Minimising maintenance

The FSCC is a less complex, more robust and compact passive system with no moving parts except from a topside circulation pump. FSCC performance can easily be monitored and predicted, and any need for maintenance can therefore be planned well ahead of time.

Eliminating operational problems like clogging and the removal of heavy-duty rotating equipment dramatically cuts maintenance needs and costs in comparison to conventional seawater cooling systems.

The subsea cooler tubes are made from a material with inherent anti-fouling properties. This minimises the loss of efficiency due to marine growth.

Removal of any marine growth on the subsea cooler can be done by using of either remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) or divers. A maintenance interval of 5 years is predicted.

Read more: Technical overview