Empirical data on high flow velocity coolants in copper tubing and the effects on the coolant's electrical resistivity

The electrical power generation industry has developed a set of guidelines and operating parameters for coolant fluids exposed to high voltage. These guidelines are very system-specific and limited to the operating range of standard utility power generation industries. There is a growing interest today in high energy density pulsed-power generation as well as "power on demand" energy storage devices such as flywheel battery systems. The University of Texas at Austin Center for Electromechanics (UT-CEM) is a leader in the development and prototype testing of such energy storage devices. This paper describes a coolant flow test apparatus at UT-CEM that was used to obtain empirical data for coolant flow in copper tubing. Different test coolant fluids were run though a mock electrical coil with real time fluid parameters monitored and recorded for later analysis. This system recorded and stored fluid flow rate, fluid temperature, fluid pH level, fluid electrical conductivity, and several system pressures around the fluid circuit. This testing provides an expanded data base and additional guidelines for coolant system performance in high energy density power generators.