Global Cold Source Allocation & Transport System: Engineering Design, THM Coupling, and Sustainable Implementation

This study presents a comprehensive global cold source allocation and transport system aimed at mitigating climate warming by leveraging natural cold reserves (e.g., Arctic ice, Siberian permafrost, Lake Baikal frozen water) and constructing intercontinental transmission networks. The system integrates Wang Tongchun's water conservancy logic with modern engineering technologies, featuring core components such as cold source collection stations, insulated trunk canals, underground cold storage facilities, and subsea transport pipelines. Key design considerations include permafrost-pipeline coupling effects, thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) simulation for structural safety, and low-temperature material compatibility to ensure long-term operation in extreme environments.

The engineering implementation encompasses multi-scale technical packages, from pilot-scale underground cold storage (1.0×10⁶ kJ) to large-scale intercontinental transmission pipelines, with detailed calculations for cold storage capacity, pipeline diameter, pump scheduling, and ship transport configuration. Controllable thawing of permafrost, gravity-driven cold source flow, and phase change energy storage (ice slurry) are adopted to optimize energy efficiency, reducing transmission losses to ≤0.6% per 100 km and ensuring seasonal heat loss ≤10% for cold storage facilities.

Environmental sustainability and legal compliance are prioritized through ecological flow protection, zero-discharge marine operations, permafrost disturbance control, and blockchain-based metering for transparent settlement. The system provides a feasible technical pathway to balance global cold-heat distribution, support urban central cooling, agricultural irrigation, and ecological restoration, contributing to the long-term goal of climate stability and sustainable development.