SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR COGENERATION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY FOR SERVERS IN A DATA CENTER ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The present invention enables the extraction of heat from a computer processor to generate mechanical force on the pistons of a gamma model Stirling engine, considering the characteristics of this engine such as low vibration, due to the absence of internal explosion, and the possibility of creating a compact model that allows coupling a micro-generator of electrical energy to its rotation output. The objective of this invention is to utilize the heat from processors in a data center environment, which is currently wasted, as a source of electrical cogeneration.

Description

Title: SYSTEM AND PROCESS FOR COGENERATION OF ELECTRICAL ENERGY FOR SERVERS IN A DATA CENTER ENVIRONMENT

[001] The present invention relates to a new system and process for cogeneration of electrical energy through a new version of a low-temperature Stirling engine, with its rotation axis coupled to an axial electric current generator. Although this invention aims at application in Data Centers, it can also be applied in heat exchangers, such as, for example, alpine cooling towers as seen in patent US20100212656A1. The product, represented by the electrical energy cogeneration system, was designed to be inserted in water-cooled Data Centers, since water is the best heat conductor for the proposed process. It can be manufactured in different sizes, as Data Centers have different proportions.

[002] In addition to being a product invention, it also represents a process invention, since it alters the cooling process of water-cooled Datacenters, as can be seen in patent US20100067193. The Stirling engine has been extensively studied and several applications have already been reported in patents US5755100, US4988755 and US8415839B2.

[003] Currently, the heat generated by numerous servers in data centers is wasted through heat exchange with air conditioning units or heat exchangers, as seen in patents US20160118317 and US20110063792. The data center cycles for approximately 7 days. Petition 870170079506, dated 10 / 18 / 2017, page 4 / 18 2 / 6 of a week, 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year, therefore there is a considerable gain in the cogeneration of electricity. It is observed that the tariffs for Class A consumers, currently composed of large companies and multinationals, are high, and business owners are responsible for paying the highest cost of electricity in the country. In this respect, according to data collected by the Gartner Group consultancy, energy savings in large data centers are the new frontier of computer development, considering that 1% of all electricity generated on the planet is absorbed by them, with 50% by the operating servers and the other 50% by the air conditioning systems that regulate the temperature of the rooms where the machines are located. The expectation is that electricity costs will reach 50% of the budget for Information and Communication Technologies.

[004] However, to date, the thermal energy generated by data processing units has not been effectively utilized for conversion into electrical energy cogeneration, which represents the fundamental objective of this invention, which can be better understood through the following detailed description, in accordance with the attached figures, where:

[005] FIGURE 1 represents the new Stirling micromotor generator model. Reheating of the heat exchanger chamber (1) inside the cylinder causes the piston to regenerate in the opposite direction to which it receives heat, in the water-cooled Datacenter, through a circuit that carries cold water to the inlet of the upper heat sink (2). A bushing (3) Petition 870170079506, dated 10 / 18 / 2017, page 5 / 18 3 / 6 prevents the internal pressure of the piston from being lost, since there is a rod (4) that connects the cylinder with the external mechanisms. Axial micro-electric generators with permanent magnets (5) are designed and used for low flow of motive force, whether driven by water force or wind flow. The use of permanent magnets, also known as rare earth magnets, whose chemical nomenclature refers to NdFeB, has made it possible to compose an electrical generation structure with superior durability when compared to the use of brushes in rotors, since friction is avoided through the use of these magnets that do not demagnetize over time.The presence of connecting rod bearings (6) on the crankshaft avoids friction and increases the displacement speed of the power piston mechanism (7) through pressure in the form of cold air, which automatically regenerates in the opposite direction to the pressure received, closing the Stirling engine cycle; which is composed of 4 phases and executed in 2 piston strokes: isothermal compression (constant temperature), isochoric heating (constant volume), isothermal expansion and isochoric cooling. The power cylinder (8) cools down by heat exchange with the upper heat sink with longitudinally overlapping edges, as soon as the cold fluid enters through the quick-connect nozzle (2). Petition 870170079506, dated 10 / 18 / 2017, page 6 / 18 4 / 6

[006] FIGURE 2 represents the upper and lower heat sinks, with longitudinally overlapping edges, used for cooling the water cooling system, close to the heat exchanger, or close to the rack outlet where the processing modules are located. The upper heat sink with longitudinally overlapping edges (14), the lower heat sink with longitudinally overlapping edges (15). This absorbs heat supplied by the residual thermal absorption of the electronic components of the Datacenter or by oil stations, industrial processes, heat recovery systems and chemical processes.

[007] FIGURE 3 represents the new Stirling micromotor generator model coupled directly to the processor. A fluid conductor made of non-thermally conductive material (9) prevents heat from propagating externally from the lower heat sink. Fixing pins secure the new spiral heat sink model (10) of the new Stirling engine model to the processor base (11) and the server motherboard (12), which quickly radiates the heat that is absorbed by the lower layer of the lower heat sink and rises to exit through the quick-release nozzle (16).

[008] FIGURE 4 depicts a multi-layered spiral heat sink. Used to directly cool the processor mounted on the motherboard. Cold water enters the lowest layer of the spiral heat sink (9), the lower layered spiral heat sink removes heat from the processor, then releases the fluid. Petition 870170079506, dated 10 / 18 / 2017, page 7 / 18 5 / 6 hot water through the outlet (16), in order to return the hot water to the datacenter system.

[009] FIGURE 5 represents a Stirling engine generator connected to a heat exchanger, which, in turn, is connected to an alpine cooling tower. The central fan (18) serves as a heat exhaust that draws hot air from inside to outside the tower (19). The alpine cooling tower is connected by pipes (20) that bring in the hot fluid. The return of heated water allows a cooler temperature to be reached in the heat exchanger, which causes heat exchange between the cold water circuit and the hot water circuit (21), without the liquids physically mixing. Intertwined and longitudinal coils allow this exchange. The hot water inlet (22) that receives the circuit, coming from an external heat source, after passing through the cooling process, the cold water is returned at the outlet of the new Stirling engine model (23) and returns to the circuit that absorbs the residual heat from electronic components of the data center.A water basin decants the concentrated salts in the cooling process inside the alpine tower (24) the chemical treatment of the water prevents the development of bacteria that develop due to heat and humidity (25). As some of the water evaporates, it is necessary to replenish it through an inlet (26) and a water pump (27) that keeps the system in continuous circulation.

[010] FIGURE 6 represents Stirling micromotor generators connected in series via a single crankshaft which, in turn, is connected to the axial electric generator. Industrial, as well as Petition 870170079506, dated 10 / 18 / 2017, page 8 / 18 6 / 6 other sectors have large Datacenters that process everything from factory floor operations to their e-commerce, i.e., electronic commerce. In this way, several racks are inserted into these datacenters, many of which are designed to be water-cooled. In this aspect, the possibility of connecting more than one new Stirling engine in series through a crankshaft that passes through other Stirling engines (29) is highlighted, which allows the insertion of a more powerful generator engine (28).

Claims

CLAIMS 1. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment with a regenerative Stirling engine, characterized by being constituted by an upper heat sink with longitudinal edges of one layer (14), a lower heat sink with longitudinal edges of one layer (15), connection nozzle and quick coupling (16), sealing bushings (3), piston connection rods on the crankshaft (4), permanent magnet axial micro generator (5), crankshaft with connecting rod bearings (6), hermetic heat exchanger chambers (1 and 7), and power cylinder (8).

2. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 1, characterized for the secondary cooling cycle, externally to the datacenter, by an upper heat sink with longitudinally overlapping edges of a layer (23) and a lower heat sink with longitudinally overlapping edges of a layer (22).

3. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 1, characterized for the primary cooling cycle, internally to the datacenter, consisting of rack and blade type server equipment cooled by thermal fluids, new Stirling engine nested in series and interconnected by a single crankshaft (29) and connected to a generator (28).

4. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 1, characterized for the primary cooling cycle, internally to the datacenter, consisting of tower cabinets, direct fixation on the processors (11) by means of a fixing pin (10) on the motherboard (12).

5. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 2, characterized by a Stirling engine and a large electric generator, to be sized according to the volume of fluid circulating in the suction pump (27).

6. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 3, characterized in that the sized electric generator (28) is connected at the end of the stroke by a single crankshaft (29).

7. Cogeneration system for servers in a Datacenter environment, according to claim 4, characterized by a datacenter consisting of tower cabinets and cooled by thermal fluid, having a Stirling engine model with a spiral heat sink (9), composed of two cooling layers that gradually raise the heat to the outlet (16).

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