Power supply and method for its manufacture

Abstract

The present invention relates to a power source (110, 110'...) for the transport of electrical energy from an energy source (144) to an application (148) or from the application (148) to the energy source (144), wherein the energy source (144) is arranged in a warm zone (142) and the application (148) is arranged in a cold zone (146), the power source (110, 110') having a stack (118) comprising at least two foils (120, 120'...), each foil (120, 120'...) comprising an electrically conductive material configured to transport electrical energy, and each foil (120, 120'...) ...) have electrical terminals configured to receive or emit electrical energy, and each foil (120, 120' ...) comprises a plurality of flow ducts (128) for guiding a fluid flow, the fluid flow comprising a coolant mixture or a gas flow to be cooled or liquefied, and the foils (120, 120' ...) comprised in the stack (118) have a first flow path (134) through the flow duct (128) configured to receive the fluid flow at a high pressure level from the warm region (142) and a second flow path (134') through the flow duct (128) configured to receive the fluid flow at a low pressure level from the cold region (146).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The invention relates to a power source and a method for its manufacture. The invention further relates to an apparatus comprising at least one such power source for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and the transport of electrical energy, in particular to its use for the cooling and operation of high-temperature superconductors at cryogenic temperatures between 15 K and 90 K. However, other applications are also possible. [Background technology]

[0002] Closed-circuit cooling to cryogenic temperatures between 15 K and 90 K is of great importance for many applications in energy technology, in particular for power supplies for high-temperature superconducting applications. For this purpose, preference is given to using cryogenic mixed refrigerant circuits, as described in detail in T. Kochenburger, Kryogene Gemischkaelte-kreislaeufe fur Hochtemperatursupraleiter-Anwendungen [Cryogenic Mixed Refrigerant Circuits for High-Temperature Superconducting Applications], PhD thesis, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 2019, ISBN 978-3-8439-3987-4. In particular, it is possible to achieve cryogenic temperatures below 120 K by the Linde-Hampson cycle process. In this case, the desired cooling is achieved by the Joule-Thomson effect, which describes the change in temperature in the case of enthalpy expansion such as adiabatic of real fluids. To achieve the cooling, the Joule-Thomson coefficient defined by equation (1) is used:

[0003]

number

[0004] During the ceremony, TIFF0007682208000002.tif1125 represents the partial derivative of temperature T with respect to pressure p at constant enthalpy H, and therefore expansion, and has a positive value. This condition is met over a wide range of states for many fluids, or can be achieved by pre-cooling the fluid. Even for large pressure differences, temperature reductions of more than 100 K are achievable only with low efficiency in practice, so cryogenic temperatures below 120 K are achieved by pre-cooling the fluid by an internal countercurrent heat exchanger (recuperator) before expansion.

[0005] The Linde-Hampson cycle process begins in a compressor where a fluid refrigerant is compressed to high pressure, where the energy of compression occurring in a downstream cooler is released to the compressor's environment. The refrigerant is then cooled in a counterflow heat exchanger. In an expansion unit, preferably selected from an expansion valve, a throttle capillary, a diaphragm, and a sintered element, the refrigerant expands adiabatically to a low pressure level, where a positive Joule-Thomson coefficient μ JT is applied, it is further cooled by the Joule-Thomson effect. It is then possible to absorb heat flow in the evaporator from the application to be cooled, in particular from the high-temperature superconductor. Finally, the coolant is heated again to ambient temperature in the countercurrent heat exchanger before being passed back to the compressor. If this cycle process is used for cooling a power source or for liquefying low-boiling-point fluids, for example hydrogen, the coolant also absorbs heat flow in the countercurrent heat exchanger from the power source or the fluid to be cooled.

[0006] To improve the efficiency of the Linde-Hampson cycle process, the resulting entropy production can be reduced by modifying the cycle process, for example by using multiple compression stages, multiple heat exchangers or turbines for expansion. Alternatively or additionally, it is possible to modify the thermodynamic properties of the refrigerant by adding at least one further refrigerant with a boiling point different from that of the refrigerant. In so-called "cryogenic mixed refrigerant circuits", the Linde-Hampson cycle process is carried out not with a pure substance but with a multicomponent mixture with a wide boiling range as the refrigerant, in which case the cycle process takes place mainly in the biphasic region of the mixture. If the cycle process is carried out in the form of at least two cooling stages, each cooling stage can preferably have a dedicated multicomponent mixture with a wide boiling range, so that the cycle process in each cooling stage takes place mainly in the biphasic region of the respective refrigerant mixture. As a result, the refrigerant mixture can reach the dew point even at the warm end of that cooling stage, for example approaching the ambient temperature in the first cooling stage, and then gradually condense during the cooling operation and, after exceeding the boiling point, further subcooled. Thus, the Joule-Thomson expansion is carried out partially with a high liquid fraction and partially in supercooled form. By the choice of the composition of the coolant mixture of the cooling stage, it is now possible to control in the countercurrent heat exchanger the effective heat capacity of the coolant stream of said cooling stage, preferably by reducing to a minimum the temperature difference both over the entire flow length of the countercurrent heat exchanger, preferably between the coolant stream of the cooling stage, with respect to the coolant mixture in at least one further cooling stage or with respect to the gas stream to be liquefied or cooled. A further feature can be the decomposition of the fluid into two liquid phases, which occurs in some coolant mixtures. Here, it is possible to distinguish between the two liquid phases in terms of polarity, level of fluorination or chain length of their components.

[0007] To achieve efficient cooling, it is possible to adjust the thermodynamic properties of the coolant mixture used in the cooling stage accordingly. An efficient coolant mixture has a dew point close to the recooling temperature of the cooling stage at the high pressure level. The recooling temperature in the first cooling stage is typically in the region of ambient temperature, whereas the recooling temperature of a cooling stage in a multi-stage process is in the region of the coolant temperature generated by the isenthalpic expansion of the upstream cooling stage. The dew point temperature of the cooling stage can be influenced in particular by the selection and fraction of the high boiling component of the cooling stage. The boiling point temperature of the coolant mixture in the cooling stage should preferably be just below the cooling temperature at the low pressure level in order to minimize the entropy generation due to the high liquid phase rate of expansion in the expansion unit. The selection and fraction of the low boiling component here has a considerable influence on the boiling point temperature. Thus, in each case in the above temperature range, in order to achieve the desired high efficiency, the coolant mixture of the cooling stage contains both high and low boiling components, so that the coolant mixture of the cooling stage has an overall wide boiling range. So, in practice, the coolant mixture of the first stage comprises about 4-5 coolants with higher and lower boiling points, preferably selected from hydrocarbons and fluorinated hydrocarbons, mixed in a ratio adapted to the intended application, preferably selected in particular from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, hydrogen and helium. The coolant mixture used for the further cooling stage and to be subcooled in the upstream cooling stage may in fact comprise about 2-4 coolants with higher and lower boiling points, mixed in a ratio adapted to the intended application, where the components that can be frozen at the temperature of the cooling stage in question are not selected in each case.

[0008] Thus, the use of a coolant mixture with a wide boiling range allows for staged and partial condensation of the coolant mixture on the high pressure side of the countercurrent heat exchanger, while the coolant mixture is staged and partially evaporated on the low pressure side of the countercurrent heat exchanger. The selection of the components of the coolant mixture and the adjustment of their concentrations therefore allows for an advantageous matching of the volumetric flow rates on the high pressure and low pressure sides of the countercurrent heat exchanger. The composition of the coolant mixture can be optimized to such an extent that heat transfer over the entire temperature range can be effected with a minimum temperature difference ΔT between the material flows, which allows for a significant increase in efficiency to be achieved.

[0009] From the hot side to the cold side of the cooling stage The transfer of TIFF0007682208000003.tif823 is based on the heat transfer kinetics according to equation (2).

[0010]

number

[0011] where α is the coefficient of heat transfer, it can be inferred that a counterflow heat exchanger with a very large transfer area A is preferred since it has the smallest temperature difference ΔT. Therefore, it would be advantageous to identify the counterflow heat exchanger with the largest transfer area A.

[0012] Furthermore, power supplies are known from the prior art, which are used to transport electrical energy, in particular in the form of electric current, from an energy source in a warm region of a cooling stage, in particular at room temperature, to an application arranged in a cold region, in particular at cryogenic temperatures of 15 K to 90 K. Here, depending on the cooling method used, it is possible to implement the power supplies in the manner of off-gas cooling or power cooling. In power-cooled power supplies, cooling is generally only enabled at the cold end in a simple but inefficient manner, in particular by means of cryocoolers or low-boiling liquids. By using multi-stage cooling, it is possible to increase the efficiency step by step, but at the same time the technical complexity also increases. Furthermore, further modes of cooling are known, in particular using Peltier elements. See, for example, S. Yamaguchi, M. Emoto, T. Kawahara, M. Hamabe, H. Watanabe, Y. Ivanov, Jian Sun, N. Yamamoto, A. Iiyoshi, A Proposal of Multi-stage current lead for reduction of heat leak, Physics Procedia 27 (2012) 448-451.

[0013] E. Shabagin and S. Grohmann, Development of 10 kA Current Leads Cooled by a Cryogenic Mixed-Refrigerant Cycle, IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 502 (2019) 012138, doi:10.1088 / 1757-899X / 502 / 1 / 012138, describes a multi-tube-in-tube counter-flow heat exchanger wrapped around a copper core with a length of more than 1.2 m. The cold end is further introduced into a cryogenic cooler or liquid nitrogen to cool down to a temperature level of about 80 K for superconductor applications. A shorter connection to the cold end would result in a decrease in temperature, which could lead to undesired freezing of the coolant mixture.

[0014] Dmitri Goloubev, Cooling of a resistive HTSL short-circuit current limiter with a mixed Joule-Thomson cooling unit, thesis, Technical University of Dresden, 2003, is primarily concerned with the study of a mixed nitrogen cascade as a coolant supply system for resistive HTSL current limiters after analysis and optimization of the power supply to liquid nitrogen temperature levels. The abstract proposes to avoid direct contact of the power supply with the mixed coolant stream containing flammable components and to reduce the pressure drop on the low-pressure side of the mixed cooling unit. The optimal combination found is a relatively long power supply in combination with a nitrogen cooling stream with a relatively low liquid content of about 15% at the cold end of the power supply.

[0015] D. Gomse, A. Reiner, G. Rabsch, T. Gietzelt, JJ Brandner, S. Grohmann, Micro-structured heat exchanger for cryogenic mixed refrigerant cycles, IOP Conf. Series: Materials Science and Engineering 278 (2017) 012061, doi:10.1088 / 1757-899X / 278 / 1 / 012061, describes a micro-structured counter-flow heat exchanger with 60 thin stainless steel plates joined in the form of a stack by diffusion welding. By means of an etching method, 50 parallel flow ducts with in each case a channel width of 400 μm, a channel depth of 200 μm and a channel length of 20 cm are introduced into each plate, every two opposing plates being arranged in such a way as to form round flow ducts with a diameter of 400 μm. Additionally, each plate has four positioning holes for plate alignment and four cutout areas that form the apex lines.

[0016] DE 10 2016 011 311 A1 discloses a method for cooling a consumer power supply with cryogenic gas, in which the power supply is designed as a plate heat exchanger and the cryogenic gas is guided as coolant through the plate heat exchanger. Also described is the configuration of a gas-cooled power supply designed as a plate heat exchanger.

[0017] DE 102005005780 A1 discloses a power supply unit for a cold conductor, which has at least one electrical conductor with a warm contact side and a cold contact side connected to the cold conductor and has a coolant duct bounded by the conductor on at least one side. It is proposed that the coolant duct has guide elements by means of which a direction of the convection of the coolant from the cold contact to the warm contact in the coolant duct can be forced and the speed of the coolant can be adjusted locally.

[0018] DE 19904822 discloses a method in which a cryogenic gas is guided as a first coolant in a first circuit, and with the help of the cryogenic gas, a power source or a consumer having a power source is directly cooled with the guidance of the cryogenic gas in countercurrent to the heat entering along the power source and cooling of the first coolant with a second coolant, and the second coolant is guided into a second separate circuit.

[0019] DE 2163270 discloses a power supply for an electrical unit having cryogenically cooled conductors, the ends of which are connected to normal conductors placed in a gas stream of evaporated cooling medium, whereby the gas stream of evaporated cooling medium is divided into individual streams, each of which flows through a flow duct bounded by at least two walls of electrically insulating material, the separation of which is not more than 30 mm.

[0020] US Patent No. 4,992,623 discloses an electronic system with cryogenic components at various points in the system, where the cryogenic fluid and the power are distributed by the same conduit. The conduit consists of a supply section and a recirculation section, each section comprising a duct for the transport of the cryogenic fluid with a superconducting wall for the transport of the power. Alternatively, the conduit may comprise a copper bar inside which a duct is formed for the transport of the cryogenic fluid and a duct housing a bar of superconducting material. The superconducting bar conducts electric current to a subsystem while being cooled by the cryogenic fluid with further use of the cryogenic fluid at its intended site for cooling purposes. Still alternatively, the cryogenic fluid can be transported by a pair of concentric conduits, in which case the walls of each conduit comprise a superconducting material for simultaneously providing power to the subsystems using the cryogenic fluid.

[0021] WO 2003 / 081104 discloses a method for manufacturing a jacket for a high-temperature multifilament superconductor cable. The jacket is manufactured by co-extrusion of a cylindrical blank with at least two concentric cylinders. Furthermore, a shell for a high-temperature multifilament superconducting cable is proposed, which is manufactured by the aforementioned method. The jacket consists of a tube with a multi-layer wall, which includes an inner layer of pure silver and at least one second layer of a silver-based alloy.

[0022] Proceeding therefrom, it is an object of the present invention to provide a power source and a method for its manufacture, as well as an apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and for the transport and use of electrical energy, which at least partially overcome the detailed disadvantages and limitations of the prior art.

[0023] In particular, a significantly more compact and more efficient power supply is provided compared to the prior art, which allows the dissipation of power losses as directly as possible at the site where they can be converted into heat, where it is possible to dissipate the heat as far as possible at the highest temperature level in each case, thereby reaching a thermodynamically increased efficiency compared to the prior art, whereby the power supply is cooled only at its cold end or at a higher temperature difference relative to the gas flow. Summary of the Invention

[0024] The object of the invention is achieved by a power source and a method for its manufacture as well as by an apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and the transport of electrical energy and its use according to the features of the independent claims. Advantageous embodiments, which can be implemented individually or in any combination, are set out in the dependent claims.

[0025] The terms "having", "comprises", "including" or their grammatical variations are used below in a non-exclusive manner. These terms can therefore relate both to the situation where there are no further features other than those introduced by these words and to the situation where one or more further features are present. For example, the expressions "A has B", "A comprises B" or "A includes B" can relate both to the situation where there are no further elements in A other than B (i.e., the situation where A consists only of B) and to the situation where, in addition to B, one or more elements are present in A, such as element C, elements C and D, or further elements.

[0026] It is further noted that the expressions "at least one" and "one or more," as well as grammatical variations of these expressions, when used in connection with one or more elements or features, and intended to express the fact that the element or feature may be provided one or more times, are generally used only once, e.g., upon the first introduction of the feature or element. In any subsequent new reference of the feature or element, the corresponding expression "at least one" or "one or more" is generally not used again, but this does not limit the possibility that the feature or element may be provided one or more times.

[0027] Furthermore, the expressions "preferably", "particularly", "for example" or similar expressions are used below in conjunction with optional features without limiting alternative embodiments. For example, the features introduced by these expressions are optional features and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the claims, in particular the independent claims. For example, the invention can also be implemented using various configurations, as understood by a person skilled in the art. Similarly, features introduced by "in one embodiment of the invention" or "in one embodiment of the invention" are understood to be optional features and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of alternative configurations or the independent claims. Furthermore, these introductory expressions do not affect any of the options of combining the features introduced by them with other features, whether optional or non-optional features.

[0028] In a first aspect, the present invention relates to a power source for the transport of electrical energy from an energy source to an application or from the application to an energy source, the energy source being located in a warm area and the application being located in a cold area, a stack comprising at least two foils, each foil includes a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy; each foil having an electrical terminal configured to receive electrical energy or emit electrical energy; Each foil includes a number of flow ducts for directing the flow of fluid.

[0029] As used herein, the term "power source" relates to an apparatus configured for the transport of electrical energy, particularly in the form of an electric current, from at least one energy source to at least one application, or from at least one application to at least one energy source. In the context of the present invention, the power source is preferably configured to transport current to a regular circuit comprising at least one superconductor, particularly a high-temperature superconductor, in order to enable further transport of the current with minimal losses in at least one superconductor. However, other types of applications are conceivable.

[0030] According to the present invention, the energy source is in the warm region of the cooling stage of the apparatus for generating cryogenic temperatures, which may also be referred to as the "cooling system", while the application is located in the low-temperature region. In principle, each apparatus for generating cryogenic temperatures includes at least one cooling stage having a low-temperature region and a warm region in each case. In this context, the "warm region" refers to a first sub-region of the apparatus having a higher temperature compared to the low-temperature region. In the case of at least two cooling stages, the apparatus may be designed such that at least a part of the warm region of each downstream cooling stage may correspond to the low-temperature region of each upstream stage. Preferably, the warm region of the first cooling stage, also referred to as the "pre-cooling stage", is configured for ambient temperature and is typically maintained at least at ambient temperature, although higher temperatures, for example up to 150 °C, may occur particularly in a compressor. The expression "ambient temperature" herein relates to temperatures up to 273 K, preferably up to 288 K, more preferably up to 293 K, 313 K, preferably up to 303 K, more preferably up to 298 K.

[0031] In contrast, a "low temperature zone" refers to a further sub-zone of the cooling stage in the device that is configured for cryogenic temperatures and is intended to serve to generate the respective cryogenic temperatures. The expression "cryogenic temperatures" here encompasses temperatures of 10 K, preferably 15 K, up to 120 K, preferably up to 90 K. In particular, in order to make the low temperature zone cryogenic and to maintain it at cryogenic temperatures, the low temperature zone is introduced into a cryostat, preferably a vacuum-insulated cryostat. However, several types of cryostats are possible.

[0032] According to the invention, the power supply has a stack comprising at least two foils. The term "foil" here relates to a thin, spreading body of conductive material configured for the transport of electrical energy. The foil may preferably have a surface in the form of a lateral extent comprising the length of the foil and the width of the foil, where the width of the foil may exceed the thickness of the foil perpendicular to the lateral extent by at least 10 times, preferably at least 25 times, more preferably at least 50 times, in particular at least 100 times. The foil is preferably A foil length of at least 5 cm, preferably at least 10 cm, in particular 20 cm to 25 cm, up to 1 m, preferably up to 50 cm; A foil width of at least 2 cm, preferably at least 5 cm, in particular 10 cm to 20 cm, up to 50 cm, preferably up to 25 cm; A foil thickness of at least 200 μm, preferably at least 250 μm, in particular 400 μm to 500 μm, up to a maximum of 2 mm, preferably up to a maximum of 1 mm; may have: In particular, when selecting the foil thickness, it should be noted that these are advantageously connected to one another by diffusion welding, as will be explained in detail below, and are therefore configured to be able to withstand any relevant energy input without damage or even destruction. In principle, however, other values ​​for the foil length, foil width and foil thickness are also conceivable, but it is particularly advantageous if the foil thickness does not exceed the specified value of 1 mm, in which case it should rather be called "plate thickness".

[0033] The term "stack" relates to an arrangement comprising at least two foils, each arranged parallel to one another in a lateral extent, on their surfaces, and preferably connected to one another by diffusion welding. In particular, in order to avoid redundancies between adjacently arranged foils in the stack, all foils of the stack may preferably have the same foil length and the same foil thickness. In turn, it is further possible that all foils in the stack preferably have the same foil thickness, in order to allow maximum uniformity of distribution of the current, according to Kirchhoff's law over the maximum number of foils in the stack, as will be explained in detail below. The stack may comprise at least two foils, preferably at least 10 foils, more preferably at least 25 foils, in particular 50-60 foils, up to 250 foils, preferably up to 200 foils, more preferably up to 100 foils. However, different values ​​for the number of foils in the stack are also possible. In this way, it is possible to adjust, in particular, the number of foils, the length of the foils, the width of the foils, and the thickness of the foils to the magnitude of the electrical energy transported by the power source, in particular the expected current.

[0034] As already mentioned, each foil comprises a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy. A material is "conductive" if it allows the transport of electrical energy, in particular charge carriers in the form of an electric current, through the material. In a particularly preferred configuration, the conductive material is a metal, in particular a ferroelectric material having at least 10 6 S / m, preferably at least 10 7 S / m, preferably at least 2·10 7 These metals include, in particular, copper (σ ≈ 5.8·10 7 S / m), aluminum (σ≒3.7·10 7 S / m), brass (σ≒2.4·10 7 S / m), with preference given to copper and aluminum. Stainless steels have a conductivity of σ<10 7This is not very desirable as it is low at S / m.

[0035] In addition, power supplies manufactured from copper foil are 2 / m 3 Up to 10,000m beyond 2 / m 3 On the other hand, the specific surface area of ​​an aluminum plate is 100 m 2 / m 3 Up to 1000m from 2 / m 3 Copper is especially preferred over aluminum because it has a low thermal conductivity of only 1000 .mu.m.

[0036] To allow the reception of electrical energy from an energy source and the release of electrical energy to an application, each foil has an electrical terminal. The expression "electrical terminal" here relates to a device on the foil that is configured for the reception of electrical energy to the foil and / or the release of electrical energy from the foil. In particular, a dedicated electrical terminal is attached to each lateral side of the foil, so that it is possible to receive electrical energy from an energy source or release electrical energy to an energy source on one lateral side of the foil and to release electrical energy to an application or receive electrical energy from the application on the other lateral side of the foil. Preferably, the electrical terminal may be configured on at least one, most preferably both, lateral sides of the foil in the form of a conductive terminal lug. The expression "terminal lug" in connection with the present invention refers in each case to a conductive terminal part on the lateral side of the foil in question, preferably in movable form, more preferably in tapered and / or conically tapered form, where the terminal part is preferably surrounded by the respective foil. With regard to the expression "conductive", reference is made to the definition given above. It is therefore possible in an advantageous manner to contact each foil in the stack individually in order to allow the greatest uniformity of the distribution of the current according to Kirchhoff's law over the maximum number of foils in the stack. However, other modes of configuration of the electrical terminals are also conceivable.

[0037] In a preferred configuration, the electrical terminal of the foil facing the application in the cold region may have a conductive connection to the high temperature superconductor, the high temperature superconductor being arranged between the electrical terminal of the power supply and the application. Here, the high temperature superconductor may in particular be configured as a strip or cable. In this way, the conductive connection between the power supply and the application may be configured to be superconducting, in particular in the form of a high temperature superconductor, in order to allow further transport of the electric current with minimal losses from the power supply to the application or from the application to the power supply. The term "high temperature superconductor strip" here refers to a conductor configured in strip form, at least partially comprising a high temperature superconductor. The expression "high temperature superconductor cable" here refers to a conductor in cable form, at least partially comprising a high temperature superconductor. A high temperature superconductor cable may comprise a plurality of filaments, which may be conductively connected, individually or in groups, to the foil or to a plurality of foils.

[0038] According to the invention, each foil further comprises a number of flow ducts for guiding a fluid flow. Here, the fluid flow may preferably be a coolant mixture or a gas flow to be cooled or a gas flow to be liquefied. Here, the gas flow may comprise a gas or any mixture of at least two gases, where the gases may be selected in particular from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, hydrogen and helium. As mentioned at the outset, the term "coolant mixture" refers to a mixture of at least two components of a coolant, where at least two of the components have different boiling point temperatures. In the context of the present invention, the term "coolant" refers in each case to a mixture of at least two components of a coolant, where, upon entering the low temperature region of the cooling stage in question, it has a positive Joule-Thomson coefficient μ JT>0 and thus suitable for use as a means of generating cryogenic temperatures in the cooling stages of the Linde-Hampson cycle process, preferably inert fluids. In particular, in order to be able to achieve high efficiency when cooling in the abovementioned temperature range of 15K-90K down from about 300K, the coolant mixture for the respective cooling stage in each case comprises both high-boiling and low-boiling components, as a result of which the coolant mixture may be described as being "wide-boiling" overall. Thus, preferably, the coolant mixture of each cooling stage comprises at least two, preferably at least three, more preferably at least four, up to eight, preferably up to six, preferably up to five coolants, where at least one of the coolants is a high-boiling component and at least one further coolant is a low-boiling component. The term "high boiling" refers to a fluid having a boiling point which is the temperature at which it enters the low temperature region of the respective cooling stage. For the expression "low temperature region", reference is made to the definition above. The term "low boiling" refers to a fluid having a boiling point which is a temperature lower than the temperature of the high-boiling component in the respective cooling stage. The lowest boiling component of the coolant mixture in the respective cooling stage has a boiling point temperature lower than the temperature after isenthalpic expansion of the respective cooling stage and can therefore in particular be cryogenic. For the expression "cryogenic", reference is made to the above definition. In particular, in the pre-cooling stage, it is possible here for the at least one high-boiling component to be preferably selected from hydrocarbons and fluorinated hydrocarbons, while the at least one low-boiling component can preferably be selected from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, hydrogen and helium. The coolant mixture for the further cooling stage, which is pre-cooled by the preceding pre-cooling stage, may preferably comprise a coolant selected from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, hydrogen and helium, which are preferably mixed in a ratio compatible with the intended application, to avoid that these components in each case may freeze at the temperature of the cooling stage in question. Other types of coolants are also possible.

[0039] As already mentioned, each foil comprises a number of flow ducts for the guidance of the fluid flow. The expression "flow duct" here refers in particular to an elongated recess introduced in the respective foil, which may in particular extend over the entire foil length of said foil, minus at least one inlet area and at least one outlet area, and is thus configured to receive a fluid flow from a first area selected from the warm or cold areas of the cooling stage, to guide said fluid flow over the foil, and to discharge said fluid flow into a second area selected from the respective other area of ​​said cooling stage. More preferably, it is now possible to select the number, shape and configuration of the flow ducts in such a way that the fluid flow flows as far as possible in a laminar flow through the plurality of flow ducts in the foil.

[0040] The flow ducts are preferably introduced into the respective foil by a subtractive method, in particular selected from etching or microetching, so that the foil may also be called a "microstructured foil", where each flow duct can in principle have any duct cross-section with an opening towards the surface of the foil. In particular, if an etching method is used, semicircular duct cross-sections are created as a result of the production, whereas in the case of microetching other types of duct cross-sections are also possible, but the production of flow ducts by microetching is more time-consuming than the etching method.

[0041] Here, each foil may comprise at least 10 flow ducts, preferably at least 20 flow ducts, more preferably at least 25 flow ducts, in particular 50-100 flow ducts, up to 500 flow ducts, preferably up to 250 flow ducts, more preferably up to 200 flow ducts. However, a different number of flow ducts within a foil is also possible. In particular, in order to simplify the production of the flow ducts, it is possible here for all flow ducts within one foil, preferably within each foil, to have the same duct length, duct width, duct depth and land width and to be arranged parallel to one another in a periodic order within the foil, The duct length may preferably correspond to the foil length of the corresponding foil, in particular minus at least one inlet area and at least one outlet area, the duct width may be at least 100 μm, preferably at least 250 μm, in particular 400 μm to 500 μm, at most 2 mm, preferably at most 1 mm, and wherein the land width where adjacent flow ducts are detached from each other may be at least 0.5, preferably at least 1.0, in particular 1.0 to 2.0, at most 5.0, preferably at most 2.5 of the duct width of the flow duct; The duct depth may be at least 50 μm, preferably at least 100 μm, in particular 200 μm to 250 μm, up to 1 mm, preferably up to 500 μm, but may be less than the foil thickness, preferably less than 75% of the foil thickness, more preferably less than 50%, thereby maintaining a sufficient bed thickness of the foil; Here, the ratio of duct width to duct depth may be preferably 1.0 to 3.0, especially about 2.0, especially when etching methods are used, but other values ​​are also possible when microetching is used. However, other values ​​of duct length, duct width, and duct depth of the flow duct are also contemplated.

[0042] As already mentioned above, the foils are joined to each other by diffusion welding and thus, in particular, have a sufficient floor thickness and land width, so that the foils can withstand the associated energy input without damage or even destruction. It may also be advantageous to note that diffusion welding has the further advantage that as a result the stack of foils contains only homogeneous material and in particular any solder can be dispensed with as further material in the stack. In this way, it is possible to provide a monolithic design which can effectively prevent thermal stresses which could lead to leakage during operation of the power supply.

[0043] Regardless of the method of constructing the flow ducts, the flow ducts are preferably introduced only onto one side of the surface of the foils. Thus, it is possible to introduce adjacent foils, in particular foils assigned to different flow paths, into the stack such that the openings of the flow ducts on the surface of the foils face away from each other. Thus, it is possible to avoid the offset described by Gomse et al. (see above) between the flow ducts of adjacent foils arranged facing each other. For further details of the arrangement of the foils in the stack, which may also be referred to as "stacking", reference is made to the examples. However, in principle, any other arrangement of the flow ducts within individual or all of the foils, including the arrangement of the flow ducts on both sides of the foils, is conceivable, although this is generally associated with the disadvantages of generally an offset or higher manufacturing complexity.

[0044] The foils included in the stack have a first flow path through a flow duct configured to receive a coolant mixture at a high pressure level from the warm region of the cooling stage and a second flow path through a flow duct configured to receive a coolant mixture at a low pressure level from the cold region of the cooling stage or to receive the liquid phase of the coolant mixture at a low pressure level from the cold region of the cooling stage. ​In contrast to known prior art, the device is a counter-flow heat exchanger having high and low pressure flows of cooling medium, where the high pressure flow flows in the direction of current flow from a warm area to a cold area, while the low pressure flow flows in the opposite direction from the cold area to the warm area.

[0045] Furthermore, the foils contained in the stack preferably have a third flow path through the flow duct configured to receive the vapor phase of the coolant mixture at a low pressure level from the low temperature region of the cooling stage; a fourth flow path through a flow duct configured to receive the gas stream to be cooled or liquefied from the warm region of the cooling stage; The at least one further flow path may be selected from: In this configuration it is preferably possible to receive the gas and liquid phases of the coolant mixture separately.

[0046] In a preferred configuration, the flow duct of each foil can now be provided as a first flow path for receiving the coolant mixture at high pressure level from the warm region, as a second or third flow path for receiving the coolant mixture at low pressure level from the cold region or as a fourth flow path for receiving the gas flow to be cooled or liquefied from the warm region of the cooling stage. By adjusting the geometry of the flow ducts and / or the ratio between the number of foils with the first flow path and the number of foils with the second, third or fourth flow path, it is possible to adjust the pressure drop and the heat transfer area in a simple manner.

[0047] Regarding the order of arrangement of the foils in the stack, the following configurations may be particularly preferred. The flow ducts of adjacently stacked foils in the stack may be alternately embodied as a first flow path for receiving a coolant mixture at a high pressure level and as a second flow path for receiving a coolant mixture at a low pressure level. The flow ducts of up to two adjacently stacked foils in the stack can be embodied as a first flow passage for receiving the coolant mixture at a high pressure level, while further foils adjacent to these have in each case a second or third flow passage for receiving the coolant mixture at a low pressure level. The flow ducts of up to two adjacently stacked foils in the stack may be embodied as second or third flow paths for receiving the coolant mixture at low pressure level, while further foils adjacent to these have in each case a flow duct in the first flow path for receiving the coolant mixture at high pressure level or in the fourth flow path for receiving the gas flow to be cooled or liquefied from the warm region of the cooling stage. The flow duct of up to two adjacently stacked foils in the stack may be embodied as a fourth flow path for receiving a gas flow to be cooled or liquefied from the warm region of the cooling stage, while adjacent further foils have flow ducts in the first flow path for receiving a coolant mixture at a high pressure level or in the second or third flow path for receiving a coolant mixture at a low pressure level. However, further configurations of the arrangement of foils in the stack are possible, such that a layered set-up, or an alternating set-up at intervals for the first and second flow paths, and optionally for the third and / or fourth flow paths, may achieve counter-current flow through the stack.

[0048] Each foil has an inlet region and an outlet region for a flow duct, the "inlet region" referring to a first section of the foil adjacent to a first region of the flow duct and configured for the ingress of the fluid flow into the flow duct, while the "outlet region" referring to a second section of the foil adjacent to a second region of the flow duct and configured for the egress of the fluid flow from the flow duct. In a preferred configuration, the inlet region and / or the outlet region may preferably have a distributor element configured to divide the fluid flow between the flow ducts of the foil arranged in parallel. In particular, to achieve an even distribution of the fluid flow between the flow ducts, the distributor element may preferably have a plurality of periodically arranged ridges and depressions therebetween. Here, the ridges may preferably assume the same level as the surface of the foil and the depressions may preferably have the same duct depth as the flow ducts. The distributor element may advantageously be particularly useful in preventing inaccurate distribution of the flow during operation during distribution of the fluid flow between a plurality of parallel flow ducts. The distributor elements may be introduced together with the introduction of the flow ducts into the foil.

[0049] In a preferred configuration of the invention, one or preferably both sides of the stack may be provided with cover plates. Here, at least one of the cover plates may have at least one supply for supplying a fluid flow to the flow duct of the stack and a drain for removing the fluid flow from the flow duct of the stack. For the creation of the supply and / or drain, the cover plate may firstly have corresponding ports alone, to which the supply and / or drain are fixed, before use in the power supply. Here, it is preferably possible to use hard solder joints and subsequent pipe connection to the pipe sections, in particular by compression ring seals or clamp ring seals or welded joints.

[0050] In a further aspect, the present invention relates to an apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and for the transport of electrical energy from an energy source to an application or from an application to an energy source, the apparatus comprising at least one cooling stage having a warm region and a cold region, a coolant mixture and an energy source each configured for the cooling stage being provided in the warm region, the coolant mixture comprising at least two components having different boiling point temperatures, the cold region of at least one cooling stage being at least one power source as described above or below, having at least one first flow path for receiving the coolant mixture at a high pressure level from the warm region of the cooling stage and at least one second flow path for receiving the coolant mixture at a low pressure level from the cold region of the cooling stage, the at least one power source being embodied simultaneously as a first heat exchanger, at least one expansion unit configured to expand and cool the coolant mixture to a low pressure level, and an application configured to receive and / or discharge electrical energy.

[0051] Here, preferably, the cold region of at least one cooling stage, which is configured for cryogenic temperatures and is intended to serve for generating cryogenic temperatures, can be introduced into a cryostat, in particular into a vacuum-insulated cryostat.

[0052] Firstly, the low temperature area of ​​the cooling stage includes at least one power source, as described in detail above or below, which is simultaneously configured as a first heat exchanger, in particular designed as a countercurrent heat exchanger. The term "heat exchanger" refers to any configuration of unit configured to bring about the transfer of thermal energy from at least one high-pressure stream of substance to at least one low-pressure stream of substance. The term "thermal energy" here relates to the energy in the respective stream of substance, which can in particular be described as a function of the stream of substance. In the context of the present invention, both the at least one high-pressure stream of substance and the at least one low-pressure stream of substance contain the coolant mixture used here for the respective cooling stage, where the streams of substance differ from each other in the temperature of the coolant mixture(s). Furthermore, the at least one high-pressure stream of substance can contain the gas stream to be cooled or the gas stream to be liquefied. The at least one low-pressure stream of substance at the lowest level has in each case the lowest temperature in each section of the heat exchanger and then the temperature of the at least one low-pressure stream of substance of the optional upstream stage for pre-cooling. The at least one high-pressure stream of material has a higher temperature than the at least one low-pressure stream of material in each section of the heat exchanger. Also, the term "countercurrent heat exchanger" refers to a specific type of heat exchanger in which the high-pressure stream of material assumes a direction opposite to that of the low-pressure stream of material. Thus, advantageously, a particularly cold stream of material can cross a particularly warm stream of material, whereby the transfer of thermal energy from the at least one high-pressure stream of material to the at least one low-pressure stream of material can be performed with maximum efficiency.

[0053] Thus, the first heat exchanger encompassed according to the invention by the low temperature region of the cooling stage has a first sub-region called "high pressure side" and a second sub-region called "low pressure side", the high pressure side being configured to receive the coolant mixture and optionally a gas stream from the warm region of the cooling stage and configured to discharge the coolant mixture to the warm region of the cooling stage. The coolant mixture supplied to the high pressure side from the associated warm region therefore has a higher temperature compared to the coolant mixture supplied to the low pressure side for discharge to the associated warm region. As a result, the coolant mixture supplied to the low pressure side contributes more to the cooling of the coolant mixture and optionally a gas stream supplied to the high pressure side from the associated warm region, and the transfer of thermal energy through the preferentially used countercurrent heat exchanger can be made more efficient. In addition to thermal energy from the high pressure side of the stage, the coolant mixture on the low pressure side of the stage can absorb thermal energy from further flows of substances, for example from the high pressure side of a downstream cooling stage or from the cooling or liquefaction of the gas stream to be cooled or liquefied.

[0054] The coolant mixture enters the first heat exchanger at a high pressure level on the high pressure side, while the coolant mixture is provided at a low pressure level on the low pressure side. The expression "high pressure level" here refers to the pressure level to which the associated coolant mixture is exposed, which pressure has a value that exceeds the pressure value to which the coolant mixture supplied to the low pressure side is exposed. In particular, the high pressure level of the cooling stage here may have an absolute pressure of 1 bar, preferably 10 bar, more preferably 25 bar, up to 150 bar, preferably up to 25 bar, more preferably up to 20 bar, while the low pressure level of the cooling stage may have an absolute pressure of 100 mbar, preferably 1 bar, more preferably 2 bar, up to 50 bar, preferably up to 10 bar, more preferably up to 5 bar. However, other values ​​are also possible for both the high pressure level and the low pressure level, in particular depending on the coolant mixture used in the respective cooling stage.

[0055] Furthermore, the cold region of the cooling stage includes at least one expansion unit configured for expansion and cooling of the coolant mixture to a low pressure level, where the Joule-Thomson coefficient μ of the coolant mixture, defined by equation (1) assuming a positive value: JT It is possible to achieve the desired cooling of the coolant mixture, preferably via the Joule-Thomson effect, using the at least one expansion unit. The effect of the at least one expansion unit is therefore firstly the reduction in pressure to which the coolant mixture is subjected, from a high pressure level to a low pressure level, and secondly the desired further cooling of the coolant mixture. Here, the at least one expansion unit may preferably be selected from an expansion valve, a throttle capillary, a diaphragm and a sintered body. However, the use of different expansion units is also conceivable.

[0056] Furthermore, the cold region of the at least one cooling stage may preferably include at least one second heat exchanger configured to cool an application, preferably a superconductor application, located in the cold region.

[0057] In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a power supply, in particular a power supply as described above or below, configured to transport electrical energy from an energy source to an application or from the application to the energy source, wherein the energy source is located in a warm area and the application is located in a cold area, the method comprising the steps of: a) providing at least two foils, each foil comprising a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy, each foil having an electrical terminal at each end configured to receive electrical energy from an energy source or emit electrical energy to an application; b) introducing a plurality of flow ducts configured to receive a flow of fluid to the at least two foils; and c) arranging at least two foils in the form of a stack and diffusion welding the at least two foils, wherein the electrical terminals of each foil in the cold region remain unwelded.

[0058] Here, a plurality of flow ducts may be introduced in step b) into at least two foils, preferably by etching or by microetching.As mentioned above, the fluid flow may preferably comprise a coolant mixture or a gas flow to be cooled or a gas flow to be liquefied.

[0059] The electrical terminals of the foils in the warm region may be welded together, whereas, in contrast, the electrical terminals of the foils in the cold region remain unwelded so that the high temperature superconductors may be individually contacted in an advantageous manner, as described above.

[0060] wherein the arrangement of the at least two foils in the form of a stack in step c) may preferably comprise the attachment of at least one cover plate on at least one side of the stack, preferably a respective cover plate on each side of the stack, wherein the diffusion welding of the at least two foils also comprises at least one cover plate, preferably two cover plates, and the method further comprises: d) in each case further including the step of introducing at least one supply configured to supply a fluid flow, and at least one drain configured to drain the fluid flow to at least one of the cover plates.

[0061] Furthermore, the method of the present invention preferably comprises the steps of: e) disposing at least one high temperature superconductor on an electrical terminal of the foil, at a cold end configured to discharge electrical energy to the application. The high temperature superconductor may in particular be configured here as a strip or a cable.

[0062] For further details relating to the method of the present invention and the terminology used herein, reference is made to the description of the power supply of the present invention.

[0063] In a further aspect, the invention relates to the use of the apparatus for generating cryogenic temperatures, transporting electrical energy for cooling, and operating high temperature superconductors at temperatures between 15K and 90K.

[0064] For further details relating to the use of the present invention, reference is made to the description of the device of the present invention.

[0065] The power supply of the present invention, the method for its manufacture and the device for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and the transport of electrical energy from an energy source, as well as its use, have many advantages over known power supplies, the associated methods and the corresponding devices. The power supply proposed here, as a homogeneous component, assumes a dual function including power supply and heat transfer at the same time. It is therefore possible to provide a significantly more compact and more efficient power supply, which makes it possible, in particular compared to the prior art, to avoid the resulting loss of power in places where it could be directly converted into heat. Here, it is possible to remove the heat at the highest possible temperature level in each case, which results in an increased efficiency compared to exclusive cooling, staged cooling or cooling by gas flow at the cold end of the power supply.

[0066] Further details and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments, in particular in conjunction with the dependent claims. Here, each feature can be implemented alone or in combination with two or more. However, the invention is not limited to the embodiments. The embodiments are illustrated diagrammatically in the following figures. In this connection, identical reference numbers in the figures indicate elements that are the same or have the same function, or that correspond to each other in terms of their function.

[0067] The individual figures show: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0068] [Figure 1a] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 1b] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 2a] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of foils within a stack of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 2b] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of foils within a stack of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 3a] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a distributor element in the inlet or outlet region for the division of the coolant mixture between the flow ducts in one of the foils of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 3b] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a distributor element in the inlet or outlet region for the division of the coolant mixture between the flow ducts in one of the foils of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 3c] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a distributor element in the inlet or outlet region for the division of the coolant mixture between the flow ducts in one of the foils of the power supply of the present invention. [Figure 4a] 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a one-stage apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperature and the transport of electrical energy, the apparatus comprising a power supply according to the present invention. [Figure 4b] 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a one-stage apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperature and the transport of electrical energy, the apparatus comprising a power supply according to the present invention. [Figure 4c] 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a one-stage apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperature and the transport of electrical energy, the apparatus comprising a power supply according to the present invention. [Figure 5a] 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a two-stage apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperature and the transport of electrical energy, the apparatus comprising a power supply according to the present invention. [Figure 5b] 1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a two-stage apparatus for the generation of cryogenic temperature and the transport of electrical energy, the apparatus comprising a power supply according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0069] 1a and 1b respectively show a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a power supply 110 of the invention in the form of an exploded view. Here, a stack 118 is depicted comprising a plurality of foils 120, and two individual foils 120', 120'' (FIG. 1a) or three individual foils 120', 120'', 120''', similarly configured for assembly into a stack 118, between an upper cover plate 112 and a lower cover plate 116 having in each case four ports 114, 114', 114'', 114''', provided for the connection of supplies and / or drains for a coolant mixture.

[0070] As is evident from figures 1a and 1b, the foils 120 are arranged one on top of the other, respectively, in a lateral extent, on their surfaces, parallel to each other and can be preferably joined to each other by diffusion welding. In particular, all foils 120 of the stack 118 can preferably have the same foil length and the same foil width, in order to avoid overfilling between foils 120 arranged adjacently in the stack 118. It is further possible that all foils 120 in the stack 118 preferably have the same foil thickness, in order to distribute the flow of electrical energy with maximum uniformity over the maximum number of foils 120 in the stack 118. It is preferably possible to adjust the number of foils 120, the foil length, the foil width and the foil thickness to the level of electrical energy transported by the power source 110. As mentioned above, the stack 118 can in particular comprise between 10 and 100 foils 120, although other values ​​for the number of foils 120 in the stack 118 are also possible.

[0071] Each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120''' comprises a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy. With regard to the expression "conductive", reference is made to the definition above. For this purpose, the conductive material preferably comprises copper, although other conductive materials are contemplated as well, and includes a dedicated electrical terminal on each lateral side of each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120'''. As shown by Figures 1a and 1b, a first lateral side of each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120''' may in each case have a first electrical terminal 122, 122', 122'', 122''' for receiving electrical energy from an energy source, and the other lateral side of the foil 120, 120', 120'', 120''' may in each case have a second electrical terminal 124, 124', 124'', 124''' for discharging electrical energy to the application to be cooled, which is configured to receive the electrical energy thus provided, wherein each first electrical terminal 122, 122', 122'', 122''' and each second electrical terminal 124, 124', 124'', 124''' are contained within the foil in question.

[0072] Also, as shown in Figures 1a and 1b, the electrical terminals may each be configured in the form of an electrically conductive terminal lug, so that both the first electrical terminal 122, 122', 122'', 122''' and the second electrical terminal 124, 124', 124'', 124''' of each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120''' have an electrically conductive terminal portion that is preferably movable and has an at least partially tapered configuration compared to the remainder of the body of the foil 120, 120', 120'', 120'''. However, other modes of arrangement and configuration of the electrical terminals of the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' are also conceivable.

[0073] As is particularly readily apparent in the exemplary foils 120', 120'' from the diagrams of Figures 1a and 1b, each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120''' has passages 126, 126', 126'' disposed beneath four ports 114, 114', 114'', 114''' in the upper cover plate 112 that are configured to supply and / or exhaust a coolant mixture at each respective foil 120, 120', 120'', 120'''. Both between the passages 126' and 126''' in the foil 120' and between the passages 126 and 126'' in the foil 120'', a plurality of flow ducts 128 are preferably arranged in parallel, and preferably along the foil length of the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''', over the lateral extent of the surface, a plurality of periodically arranged depressions and ridges for guiding the coolant mixture therebetween are introduced in each foil 120, 120', 120'', 120'''. For details of the arrangement and configuration of the flow ducts 128, reference is made to the above description and to the representations in Figures 2a and 2b.

[0074] As also shown in Figures 1a and 1b, between the passages 126' and 126''', and between the passages 126 and 126'', and between the respective associated flow ducts 128, there are in each case inlet and outlet regions 130' for the flow ducts 128, the choice of the arrangement of the inlet and outlet regions 130' in the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' depending on the flow direction of the coolant mixture through the plurality of flow ducts 128 selected during operation of the power supply 110. In the diagram according to Figures 1a and 1b, both the inlet and outlet regions 130' have distributor elements 132, 132' respectively configured for a division, preferably a uniform division, of the coolant mixture provided by at least one of the passages 126, 126', 126'', 126''', between the flow ducts 128 of the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120'''. For details relating to the arrangement and configuration of the distributor elements 132, 132', reference is made to the above description and to the representations in Figures 3a and 3b.

[0075] 2a and 2b show schematic diagrams of a preferred embodiment of the arrangement of foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' and flow ducts 128 in a stack 118 of a power supply 110 of the present invention. As shown therein, the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' included in the stack 118 preferably include a first flow passage 134 configured to receive a coolant mixture at a high pressure level from a warm region of the cooling stage, and a second flow passage 134' configured to receive a coolant mixture at a low pressure level from a cold region of the cooling stage.

[0076] 2a shows a schematic diagram of a first preferred order of arrangement of foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' in stack 118. In this arrangement, the flow ducts 128 of adjacently stacked foils 120, 120'' or 120', 120''' in stack 118 are embodied alternately as first flow paths 134 and second flow paths 134'.

[0077] Fig. 2b shows a schematic diagram of a further preferred order of arrangement of foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' in the stack 118. In this alternating arrangement, the flow ducts 128 of two adjacently stacked foils 120', 120'' in the stack 118 are embodied as second and third flow channels 134' and 134'' for separately receiving the vapor and liquid phases of the coolant mixture at low pressure levels, while each adjacent further foil 120, 120''' has a first flow channel 134 for receiving the coolant mixture in the high pressure level range. Adjacent thereto, the stack 118 can be correspondingly further configured or can continue according to the embodiment according to Fig. 2.

[0078] In a further preferred order (not shown) of the arrangement of the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' in the stack 118, the flow ducts 128 of two adjacently stacked foils 120', 120'' in the stack 118 may be embodied as a first flow passage 134 for receiving the coolant mixture at a high pressure level, while each adjacent further foil 120, 120''' may have a second flow passage 134' for receiving the coolant mixture at a low pressure level. Furthermore, further configurations of the arrangement of the foils 120, 120', 120'', 120''' in the stack 118 are conceivable.

[0079] 3a-3c show schematic diagrams of preferred embodiments for a distributor element 132 in the inlet region 130 or outlet region 130' for dividing the coolant mixture between the flow ducts 128 in one of the foils 120 of the power source 110 of the invention. In particular, to achieve an even distribution of the coolant mixture in the inlet region 130 between the flow ducts 128 in the foil 120, the distributor element 132 may preferably have a plurality of periodically arranged ridges 136 and depressions 138 therebetween, as shown. Preferably, the ridges 136 may here present the same level as the surface of the foil 120, while the depressions 138 may preferably have the same duct depth as the flow ducts 128. The distributor element 132, 132' may advantageously serve to prevent inaccurate distribution of the flow during operation, in particular during distribution of the flow between a plurality of parallel flow ducts 128.

[0080] 4a-4c each show a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of a one-stage apparatus 140 for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and the transport of electrical energy from an energy source 142 located in a warm region 142 of the apparatus 140 to an application 148 located in a cold region 146 of the apparatus 140, which has, among other things, at least one high temperature superconductor 150 or components including at least one high temperature superconductor 150. The warm region 142 is preferably configured for and typically kept at ambient temperature, whereas cryogenic temperatures are typically present in the cold region 146 during operation of the apparatus 140. For the terms "ambient temperature" and "cryogenic temperature", reference is made to the definitions above.

[0081] In the warm zone 142, a cooler 152 provides a coolant mixture comprising a mixture of at least two components of a coolant configured for the device 140, where at least two of the components have different boiling point temperatures. To achieve maximum efficiency in cooling the coolant mixture from ambient temperature to cryogenic temperatures, a wide boiling point coolant mixture is used that includes both at least one high boiling point component and at least one low boiling point component. As mentioned above, the at least one high boiling point component may preferably be selected from hydrocarbons and fluorinated hydrocarbons, while the at least one low boiling point component may preferably be selected from oxygen, nitrogen, argon, neon, hydrogen, and helium. However, other substances are possible.

[0082] As shown in Figures 4a-4c, the device 140 of the invention comprises two power sources 110, 110' arranged in the cold zone 146, as described above more particularly with respect to Figures 1-3c. The introduction of the warm coolant mixture from the warm zone 142 to the cold zone 146 is effected at high pressure level by at least one supply 154, 154' in each case, which in the illustration according to Figures 4a-4c is designed as a countercurrent heat exchanger and at the same time opens in each case into a high pressure side 156, 156' of the power source 110, 110', which is embodied respectively as a first heat exchanger 158, 158'. Furthermore, each respective first heat exchanger 158, 158' has a low pressure side 160, 160' designed to discharge the cold coolant mixture into the warm zone 142, by means of a drain 162, 162' in each case. Thus, the warm coolant mixture provided in from the warm region 142 of each high pressure side 156, 156' has a higher temperature compared to the coolant mixture provided in each low pressure side 160, 160' for discharge into the warm region 142. As a result, the cold coolant mixture provided in each low pressure side 160, 160' contributes more to cooling the warm coolant mixture provided in from the warm region 142 of each high pressure side 156, 156', and the transfer of thermal energy through the counterflow heat exchanger may be made more efficient in that the warm coolant mixture in each high pressure side 156, 156' from the warm region 124 flows in a direction opposite to that of the cold coolant mixture provided in each low pressure side 160, 160'.

[0083] The coolant mixture initially fed in from the warm area 142, already partially cooled on the respective high pressure side 156, 156' in each first heat exchanger 158, 158', then passes through a respective further conduit 164, 164' to a respective expansion unit 166, 166', here designed as an expansion valve. However, alternative designs of the expansion units 166, 166' as throttle capillaries, diaphragms or sintered elements are also possible. The expansion units 166, 166' are likewise present in the cold area 146 and are configured to cool the coolant mixture down to a low pressure level. Here, the Joule-Thomson coefficient μ of the coolant mixture defined by the formula (1) JTSince the coolant mixture is conditioned such that has a positive value at the temperature of the cold side 146 of the device 146, the expansion units 166, 166' may preferably be configured to achieve the desired cooling of the coolant mixture by the Joule-Thomson effect. The effect of the expansion units 166, 166' is therefore firstly a reduction in the pressure to which the coolant mixture is exposed from a high pressure level to a low pressure level, and secondly a desired further cooling of the coolant mixture.

[0084] As already mentioned above in connection with figures 1a and 1b, the power supply 110 comprises a first electrical terminal 122 for receiving electrical energy in the form of a current I+ from the energy source 144 and a second electrical terminal 124 for discharging electrical energy in the form of a current I+ to the application 148 and is configured to receive the electrical energy thus provided. In a preferred embodiment according to figures 4a-4c, the second electrical terminal 124 of the power supply 110, which faces the application 148 in the cold region 146, is conductively connected to a high-temperature superconductor 168. The high-temperature superconductor 168 is advantageously here arranged between the second electrical terminal 124 of the power supply 110 and the application 148, so that further transport of electrical energy from the power supply 110 to the application 148 is possible with minimal losses. The high-temperature superconductor 168 may in particular be configured here as a strip or a cable.

[0085] In a similar manner, to finally obtain a closed circuit, the electrical energy is further transported with minimal losses in the form of a current I- from the application 148 to the power supply 110' via a corresponding high temperature superconductor 168' conductively connected to a second electrical terminal 124' of the power supply 110' facing the application 148 in the cold region 146. Furthermore, the power supply 110' comprises a first electrical terminal 122' configured to discharge electrical energy in the form of a current I- from the application 148 via the power supply 110' to the energy source 144.

[0086] In comparison with the embodiment according to Fig. 4a, the embodiment of the device 140 according to Fig. 4b has two second heat exchangers 170, 170' each configured to cool an application 148 in the low temperature area 146. As shown in Fig. 4b, for this purpose the coolant mixture already partially cooled in the respective first heat exchanger 158, 158' on the respective high pressure side 156, 156' is passed via a respective further conduit 164, 164' and a respective expansion unit 166, 166' to the respective second heat exchanger 170, 170'.

[0087] In comparison with the embodiment according to Fig. 4b, the embodiment of the device 140 according to Fig. 4c has a single second heat exchanger 170 arranged to cool the application 148 arranged in the cold area 146. For this purpose, the coolant mixture already partially cooled in each first heat exchanger 158, 158' on each high pressure side 156, 156' is combined via a partially shared further conduit 164 and guided via a single expansion unit 166 to the single second heat exchanger 170. In an analogous manner, the coolant mixture from the single second heat exchanger 170 is divided between the two low pressure sides 160, 160' of the first heat exchangers 158, 158' and is thus supplied back to the warm area 142.

[0088] 5a and 5b each show a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment in which each device 140 has a two-stage configuration for generating cryogenic temperatures and transporting electrical energy from an energy source 142 located in a warm region 142 of the device 140 to an application 148 installed in a cold region 146 of the device 140.

[0089] In comparison with the embodiment according to Fig. 4a, the embodiment of the device 140 according to Fig. 5a has a precooler 172 which provides in the warm zone 142 an additional wide-boiling coolant mixture comprising a mixture of at least two components of a coolant configured for precooling, where at least two of the components have different boiling point temperatures. The introduction of the additional coolant mixture from the warm zone 142 to the cold zone 146 is effected at high pressure level by an additional supply 174, 174' in each case which simultaneously opens in each case into the high pressure side 156, 156' of the power source 110, 110' which is embodied respectively as a first heat exchanger 158, 158'. The resulting already partially cooled additional coolant mixture then passes through a respective additional conduit 176, 176' to a respective additional expansion unit 178, 178'. The discharge of the low-temperature coolant mixture to the warm zone 142 is effected via the respective low-pressure sides 160, 160' of the first heat exchangers 158, 158' by respective further drains 180, 180'. Furthermore, the embodiment of the device 140 according to Fig. 5a has, in comparison with the embodiment according to Fig. 4a, in the cold zone 146, in particular further power sources 110'', 110''', which are simultaneously used as further first heat exchangers 158'', 158''', for further cooling the respective power sources 110'', 110'''.

[0090] Compared to the embodiment according to Fig. 5a, the embodiment of a similar two-stage device 140 according to Fig. 5b has two second heat exchangers 170, 170' each configured to cool an application 148 in the low temperature area 146. For this purpose, the coolant mixture already partially cooled in each first heat exchanger 158, 158', 158'', 158''' passes via a respective further conduit 164, 164' and a respective expansion unit 166, 166' to the respective second heat exchanger 170, 170'. [Explanation of symbols]

[0091] 110, 110'... Power 112 Top cover plate 114, 114'... Port 116 Lower cover plate 118 Stack 120, 120'... foil 122, 122'... first electrical terminal 124, 124... second electrical terminal 126, 126'... aisle 128 Flow Duct 130 Entrance area 130' exit area 132, 132' distributor element 134 First Channel 134' Second Channel 134'' Third Channel 134''' Fourth Stream 136 Prominence 138 Depression 140 Equipment 142 Warm region 144 Energy Sources 146 Low temperature region 148 Applications 150 High Temperature Superconductors 152 Cooler 154, 154' Supply section 156, 156' High pressure side 158, 158'... first heat exchanger 160, 160' Low pressure side 162, 162' Drain 164, 164' Further conduits 166, 166' First expansion unit 168, 168' High-Temperature Superconductors 170 Second Heat Exchanger 172 Precooler 174, 174' Further supplies 176, 176' Further conduits 178, 178' Further expansion units 180, 180' More drain

Claims

1. A power source (110, 110) for the transport of electrical energy from an energy source (144) to an application (148) or from said application (148) to said energy source (144). ' . . . ' The energy source (144) is disposed in the warm area (142); The application (148) is disposed in a cold region (146); said power source (110, 110') having a stack (118) with at least two foils (120, 120'...), each foil (120, 120'...) comprises a conductive material configured to transport said electrical energy; each foil (120, 120'...) has an electrical terminal configured to receive said electrical energy or to emit said electrical energy, Each foil (120, 120'...) is provided with a number of flow ducts (128) for directing the flow of fluid; the fluid stream comprises a refrigerant mixture or a gas stream to be cooled or liquefied; the foils (120, 120'...) included in the stack (118) have a first flow path (134) through the flow duct (128) configured to receive the flow of the fluid at a high pressure level from the warm region (142) and a second flow path (134') through the flow duct (128) configured to receive the flow of the fluid at a low pressure level from the cold region (146), Power supply (110, 110'...).

2. Said foils (120, 120'...) a third flow path (134'') through said flow duct (128) configured to receive the vapor phase of said coolant mixture at a low pressure level from said low temperature region (146); a fourth flow path (134''') through the flow duct (128) configured to receive the gas stream to be cooled or the gas stream to be liquefied from the warm zone (142); At least one further flow path (134'', 134''') selected from A power supply (110, 110'...) according to claim 1.

3. all flow ducts (128) in each foil (120, 120'...) of the stack (118) are configured to either receive said fluid flow from said warm region (142) or to receive said fluid flow at a low pressure level from said cold region (146); A power supply (110, 110'...) according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the flow ducts (128) of adjacently stacked foils (120, 120'...) in said stack (118) are alternately configured to receive said fluid flow at a high pressure level and to receive said fluid flow at a low pressure level, or or the flow ducts (128) of no more than two adjacently stacked foils (120', 120'') in said stack (118) are configured to receive said fluid flow at a high pressure level and adjacent further foils (120, 120''') are configured to receive said fluid flow at a low pressure level; or the flow ducts (128) of no more than two adjacently stacked foils (120, 120'...) in said stack (118) are configured to receive said fluid flow at a low pressure level and adjacent further foils (120, 120''') are configured to receive said fluid flow at a high pressure level, A power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. said flow ducts (128) each lead into one side of each foil (120, 120'...); Adjacently stacked foils (120, 120'...) are introduced into the stack (118) such that the openings in the flow ducts (128) are oriented away from each other, A power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Each foil (120, 120'...) has an inlet area (130) and an outlet area (130') for said flow duct (128), At least the inlet region (130) or the outlet region (130') has a distributor element (132, 132', 132'', 132''') configured to divide the fluid flow between the flow ducts (128) of the foils (120, 120'...), A power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of the preceding claims.

7. A cover plate (112, 116) is provided on at least one side of the stack (118); At least one of the cover plates (112) in each case has at least one supply for supplying the fluid flow and a drain for removing the fluid flow. A power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of the preceding claims.

8. The conductive material is selected from copper, aluminum, or brass; A power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of the preceding claims.

9. An apparatus (140) for the generation of cryogenic temperatures and for the transport of electrical energy from an energy source (144) to an application (148) or for the transport of energy from said application (148) to said energy source (144), comprising: at least one cooling stage having a warm region (142) and a cold region (146); a coolant mixture configured for the cooling stage and the energy source (144) is provided to the warm zone (142); the coolant mixture comprises at least two components having different boiling temperatures; The low temperature region (146) of the at least one cooling stage is At least one power supply (110, 110) according to any one of claims 1 to 8. at least one power source (110, 110'...), said at least one power source (110, 110'...) being simultaneously embodied as a first heat exchanger (158, 158', 158'', 158'''); at least one first expansion unit (166, 166', 166'', 166''') configured to expand the refrigerant mixture and cool the refrigerant mixture to a low pressure level; an application (148) configured to at least one of receive the electrical energy or emit the electrical energy; Equipped with Apparatus (140).

10. a second heat exchanger (170, 170'...) configured to cool said application (148), The apparatus (140) of claim 9.

11. Use of the device (140) according to claim 9 or 10 for cooling and operation of a high temperature superconductor (168, 168') at temperatures between 15K and 90K.

12. The power supply (110, 110'...) according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A method for producing a polysaccharide (a saccharide having a structure similar to that described above), comprising the steps of: the power sources (110, 110'...) are configured to transport electrical energy from an energy source (144) to an application (148) or from the application (148) to the energy source (144); The energy source (144) is disposed in the warm area (142); The application (148) is placed in a cold area (146); The method comprises: a) providing at least two foils (120, 120'...), each foil (120, 120'...) including a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy, each foil (120, 120'...) including a conductive material configured to transport electrical energy; providing at least two foils (120, 120'...), each having at each end an electrical terminal configured to receive electrical energy or to emit said electrical energy; b) introducing a number of flow ducts (128) configured to receive a flow of fluid to said at least two foils (120, 120'...); c) arranging said at least two foils (120, 120'...) in the form of a stack (118) and diffusion welding said at least two foils (120, 120'...), said electrical terminals of each foil (120, 120'...) in said cold zone (146) remaining unwelded; Including, method.

13. said plurality of flow ducts (128) are introduced into said at least two foils (120, 120'...) by an etching method or by microetching, 13. The method of claim 12.

14. The at least two foils (120, 120') in the form of the stack (118) . . .) includes disposing at least one cover plate (112, 116) on at least one side of said stack (118); said diffusion welding of said at least two foils (120, 120'...) including said at least one cover plate (112, 116); The method further comprising: d) introducing at least one port (114, 114', 114'', 114''') configured in each case to at least one of supplying said fluid flow to at least one of said cover plates (112, 116) or to remove said fluid flow from at least one of said cover plates (112, 116); 14. The method of claim 12 or 13, further comprising:

15. The method further comprising: e) disposing at least one high temperature superconductor (168, 168') on said electrical terminals of said foils (120, 120'...), said high temperature superconductor (168, 168') configured to emit said electrical energy to said application (148) or to receive said electrical energy from said application (148); The method of any one of claims 12 to 14, further comprising:

Images