A floating subsea data center

Abstract

The present invention discloses a floating subsea data center, which is externally connected by using an offshore wind power foundation, including an offshore wind power foundation, a floating box body and a data center module. The floating box body is arranged at the lower part of the offshore wind power foundation and is connected to the outer side surface of the offshore wind power foundation through a movable connection component. A data center module is arranged inside the floating box body. By arranging the floating box body on the seabed surface, the original vortex structure of the sea current is disturbed, the erosion effect of the sea current on the seabed is reduced, the scouring effect of the sea current on the pile foundation structure is reduced, and the service life of the pile foundation is improved. Since the data center module is arranged on the outer side surface of the offshore wind power foundation, the seawater temperature is more effectively utilized for cooling through the external floating subsea data center, and spontaneous heat dissipation of the data center based on low temperature is realized, thereby improving the cooling efficiency. By reasonably arranging the data center equipment on the outer side of the foundation, the safety of the data center is ensured, and the influence of the additional weight and volume of the data center on the stability of the wind power pile foundation is also reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the cross - technical field of offshore wind power foundations and subsea data centers, and particularly relates to a floating subsea data center. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence, the problems of energy consumption and land occupation in data centers have become increasingly prominent. Traditional on - land data centers not only require huge infrastructure but also consume a large amount of energy for server cooling. Therefore, researchers have started to explore the feasibility of deploying data centers under the sea to take advantage of natural cooling, reduce energy consumption, and improve operation and maintenance efficiency. The concept of subsea data centers was first verified by Microsoft in its Project Natick. This project showed that the subsea environment can provide a stable temperature and a closed environment, which helps to extend the lifespan of equipment and reduce maintenance requirements. At the same time, subsea data centers can be deployed close to coastal cities, reducing data transmission latency and improving computing efficiency. In addition, subsea deployment can reduce the occupation of land resources by data centers, providing a new solution for future sustainable data storage. Although subsea data centers, as emerging data storage and computing infrastructure, show great potential, especially in energy consumption optimization and land resource conservation, their widespread application still faces challenges such as energy supply, operation and maintenance management, and environmental adaptability. First of all, subsea data centers require long - term and stable energy supply, and the cost of laying and maintaining subsea cables is extremely high. Secondly, the subsea environment is complex, including high salinity, high pressure, and strong corrosiveness, which may have an adverse impact on electronic devices and materials. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure the long - term and stable operation of servers. Moreover, since the data center is placed under the sea, traditional manual maintenance methods are greatly limited. Once a hardware failure or equipment aging occurs, the cost of replacement and repair is extremely high.

[0003] The prior art CN217974469U discloses a subsea data center inside an offshore wind power foundation, which sets the subsea data center inside a monopile foundation pile and installs a refrigeration air - conditioner. Using seawater as a cold source, it cools the server cabinets and power distribution equipment. However, due to the limited internal space of the wind power pile foundation, it is usually used for cable layout, maintenance channels, etc. How to reasonably arrange data center equipment in a limited space and ensure its safety is a major challenge. In addition, the additional weight and volume of the data center may affect the stability of the wind power pile foundation, and structural reinforcement design is required.

[0004] The prior art CN117212057A discloses a floating wind turbine and subsea data center integration device, which sets the wind turbine on a tower barrel, and connects the tower barrel to the subsea data center through a floating body and corresponding mooring cables, thereby using the subsea data center as the anchoring foundation of the floating body. Although this invention can effectively reduce the construction costs of the floating wind turbine and the subsea data center, reduce the power consumption cost of the subsea data center, and effectively improve the cooling capacity of the subsea data center. However, the floating wind power will generate six-degree-of-freedom motion under the action of wind, waves and currents, and this motion may be transmitted to the data center through the anchor cable or cable, affecting its long-term stable operation. Moreover, once the subsea data center needs to be overhauled or components replaced, the connection may need to be temporarily disconnected, increasing the complexity of operation and maintenance.

[0005] Regarding structural overhaul, the prior art CN117082830A discloses a subsea data center, which sets up a separate accommodation passage, in which there is an overhaul passage and a cable passage, and a heat dissipation end is set on the inner side wall of the accommodation passage for convective heat dissipation with seawater. And when technicians repair and maintain the data terminal, they can directly enter through the overhaul passage, which can greatly improve the maintainability of the subsea data center and improve the efficiency and convenience of maintenance. However, on the one hand, its data center is set in the horizontal passage at the bottommost of the accommodation passage, and is fixedly connected to the horizontal passage through a gravity foundation, a steel pile foundation or a suction anchor foundation, which results in the data center having a large weight and volume. On the other hand, since the horizontal passage accommodating the data center is fixedly set at the bottom, it is inevitably strongly scoured by the bottom current, which in turn leads to the loss of the marine soil under the horizontal passage and causes the instability of the structure. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Aiming at the technical problems existing in the above prior art, the invention object of the present invention is to provide a floating subsea data center externally connected to an offshore wind power foundation, aiming to improve the operation stability of the subsea data center under the action of ocean currents and improve the operation and maintenance efficiency.

[0007] To achieve the above invention object, the present invention provides the following technical solution: A floating subsea data center, which includes an offshore wind power foundation, a floating box body, and a data center module. Among them, the floating box body is arranged below the offshore wind power foundation and is connected to the outer side surface of the offshore wind power foundation through a movable connection component, and a data center module is arranged inside the floating box body.

[0008] Further, the offshore wind power foundation is of a hollow structure, and a fan power cable, a battery module and a data center power cable are arranged inside the offshore wind power foundation, and the fan power cable and the data center power cable are connected to the battery module;

[0009] Furthermore, power transmission cables are also arranged inside the offshore wind power foundation, and the power transmission cables are also connected to the battery module.

[0010] Furthermore, the offshore wind power foundation further includes a pile foundation outer hatch and a pile foundation inner hatch. The pile foundation outer hatch is located above the sea level and is used for maintenance personnel to enter the inside of the pile foundation to maintain the pile foundation and the data center. The pile foundation inner hatch is used to enter the data center module inside the floating box. When specific maintenance is required, the maintenance personnel can enter the inside of the pile foundation through the pile foundation outer hatch to maintain the pile foundation, and then can enter the floating box through the pile foundation inner hatch and finally enter the data center module for maintenance.

[0011] Furthermore, the floating box includes a buoyancy chamber, a pressure-resistant chamber and an anchoring structure. Among them, the pressure-resistant chamber is a hollow structure, the buoyancy chamber is located above the pressure-resistant chamber, one end of the anchor head of the anchoring structure is fixed to the bottom of the pressure-resistant chamber, the other end of the anchor body is tightly connected to the seabed soil layer, and they are connected by an anchor chain in the middle. The anchoring structure is used to limit the slidable range of the floating box.

[0012] Furthermore, the movable connection assembly includes a linear sleeve and a sliding sleeve; the linear sleeve is a solid cylindrical structure, the linear sleeve is installed on the outside of the offshore wind power foundation, and its outer surface is preferably a smooth surface. The sliding sleeve includes a hollow cylindrical slider, and the hollow cylindrical slider is sleeved on the outer surface of the linear sleeve. One end of the flexible water-proof cushion layer is fixed to the outside of the offshore wind power foundation, and the other end is connected to the outer surface of the floating box.

[0013] Furthermore, the sliding sleeve further includes a flexible water-proof cushion layer. After the pile foundation inner hatch is opened, it can enter the inside of the floating box through the flexible water-proof cushion layer.

[0014] Furthermore, the data center module includes a data calculation center, a capillary tube, an absorber, a compressor and a condenser. Among them, the capillary tube is wound around the outside of the data calculation center, and a refrigerant is placed inside the capillary tube. One end of the absorber is connected to the capillary tube, and the other end is connected to the compressor. The other end of the compressor is also connected to the condenser. The condenser is located on the outer surface of the floating box, and the other end of the condenser is connected to the capillary tube. The condenser is preferably a honeycomb structure.

[0015] Furthermore, the data center module further includes a dryer filter. One end of the dryer filter is connected to the condenser, and the other end is connected to the capillary tube.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0017] 1. By setting up floating boxes on the seabed surface, the original vortex structure of ocean currents is effectively disrupted, the erosion of the seabed by ocean currents is reduced, the scouring effect of ocean currents on the pile foundation structure is decreased, and the service life of the pile foundation is prolonged. Moreover, since the data center module is arranged on the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation, the technical problem that it may be impossible to directly contact the open seawater inside the wind power pile foundation and additional cooling channels need to be designed is overcome. Additionally, by using the external floating seabed data center, the seawater temperature can be more effectively utilized for cooling, achieving spontaneous heat dissipation of the data center based on low temperature and improving the cooling efficiency. Furthermore, due to the limited internal space of the offshore wind power foundation, by reasonably arranging the data center equipment outside the foundation, not only the safety of the data center is ensured, but also the impact of the additional weight and volume of the data center on the stability of the wind power pile foundation is reduced.

[0018] 2. Utilizing the hollow structure of the pile foundation, the seabed data center is placed under the pile foundation and connected through movable connection components, effectively improving the operation and maintenance efficiency of the pile foundation structure and the seabed data center without the need for personnel to dive.

[0019] 3. By arranging the data center module outside the offshore wind power foundation and regulating the fluctuations of wind power generation through the battery module, continuous and stable power output can be achieved for the data center, reducing the risk of electromagnetic interference caused by high-power power transmission in the wind power system to the electronic equipment of the data center. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the floating seabed data center of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the movable connection component of the present invention.

[0022] In the figure: 1, offshore wind power foundation; 2, floating box; 3, data center module; 11, outer warehouse door of the pile foundation; 12, fan power transmission cable; 13, battery module; 14, inner warehouse door of the pile foundation; 15, linear sleeve; 16, data center power transmission cable; 17, external power transmission cable; 21, buoyancy chamber; 22, pressure-resistant chamber; 23, anchoring structure; 24, sliding kit; 241, hollow cylinder slider; 242, flexible water-proof cushion; 31, data calculation center; 32, capillary; 33, absorber; 34, compressor; 35, condenser; 36, drying filter. Detailed Embodiments

[0023] The following further describes a floating seabed data center of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. The following embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0024] Please refer to Figure 1-2, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a floating subsea data center, which includes an offshore wind power foundation 1, a floating box 2, and a data center module 3. Among them, the floating box 2 is arranged below the offshore wind power foundation 1 and is connected to the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation 1 through a movable connection component. The data center module 3 is arranged inside the floating box 2.

[0025] By setting a floating box on the seabed surface, the original vortex structure of the ocean current is effectively disrupted, the erosion of the seabed by the ocean current is reduced, the scouring effect of the ocean current on the pile foundation structure is reduced, and the service life of the pile foundation is improved. Moreover, since the data center module is arranged on the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation and is externally connected by the offshore wind power foundation, the technical problem that it may not be possible to directly contact the open seawater inside the wind power pile foundation and an additional cooling channel needs to be designed is overcome. And by arranging the floating subsea data center externally, the seawater temperature can be more effectively utilized for cooling, realizing spontaneous heat dissipation of the data center based on low temperature and improving the cooling efficiency. In addition, the internal space of the offshore wind power foundation is limited. By reasonably arranging the data center equipment outside the foundation, not only the safety of the data center is ensured, but also the influence of the additional weight and volume of the data center on the stability of the wind power pile foundation is reduced.

[0026] Among them, the offshore wind power foundation 1 is a hollow structure. Inside the foundation, there are a fan power cable 12, a battery module 13, and a data center power cable 16. The fan power cable 12 is connected to the battery module 13 for temporarily storing electric power. The data center power cable 16 is connected to the battery module 13, and there is also a power external transmission cable 17 inside it. The power external transmission cable 17 is also connected to the battery module 13, and the power external transmission cable 17 is responsible for transporting the excess electric power to the land.

[0027] Specifically, the electric power generated when the fan works is transported to the battery module 13 by the fan power cable 12. The battery module 13 can adjust the fluctuation of wind power generation according to its own power and continuously and stably output power to the data center. When the battery module 13 is fully charged, it disconnects the connection with the fan power cable 12, and the excess electric power is transported to the land by the power external transmission cable 17; when the power of the battery module 13 is lower than 50%, it actively connects to the fan power cable 12 until it is fully charged, reducing the risk of electromagnetic interference to the electronic equipment of the data center caused by the high-power power transmission of the wind power system.

[0028] The offshore wind power foundation 1 further includes a pile foundation outer hatch 11 and a pile foundation inner hatch 14. The pile foundation outer hatch 11 is located above the sea level and is used for maintenance personnel to enter the interior of the pile foundation to perform maintenance on the pile foundation and the data center. The pile foundation inner hatch 14 is used to enter the data center module 3 inside the floating box 2. When specific maintenance is required, the maintenance personnel can enter the interior of the pile foundation through the pile foundation outer hatch 11 to perform maintenance on the pile foundation, and then can enter the floating box 2 through the pile foundation inner hatch 14 and finally enter the data center module 3 for maintenance.

[0029] Based on the hollow structure of the offshore wind power foundation, by setting the pile foundation outer hatch and the pile foundation inner hatch, the effect of eliminating the need for personnel to dive for maintenance is achieved, effectively improving the operation and maintenance efficiency of the pile foundation structure and the subsea data center.

[0030] The floating box 2 includes a buoyancy chamber 21, a pressure-resistant chamber 22, and an anchoring structure 23. The pressure-resistant chamber 22 is a hollow structure. The buoyancy chamber 21 is located above the pressure-resistant chamber 22 and is used to offset the influence of the box weight on the pile foundation. One end of the anchor head of the anchoring structure 23 is fixed to the bottom of the pressure-resistant chamber 22, and the other end of the anchor body is tightly connected to the seabed soil layer. The middle is connected by an anchor chain, and the force from the anchor head is transmitted to the stable formation through the frictional resistance (or bearing resistance) between the anchor body and the surrounding soil layer. The anchoring structure 23 is used to limit the slidable range of the floating box 2.

[0031] The movable connection assembly includes a linear sleeve 15 and a sliding sleeve 24. The linear sleeve 15 is a solid cylindrical structure. The linear sleeve 15 is installed on the outside of the offshore wind power foundation 1 and is used for movable connection with the pressure-resistant chamber 22, so that the floating box 2 can slide up and down along the outer surface of the offshore wind power foundation 1 under the action of the marine environment. Its outer surface is preferably a smooth surface, which can improve the smoothness of the movable connection. The sliding sleeve 24 includes a hollow cylindrical slider 241, and the hollow cylindrical slider 241 is sleeved on the outer surface of the linear sleeve 15.

[0032] The sliding sleeve 24 further includes a flexible water-proof cushion layer 242. One end of the flexible water-proof cushion layer 242 is fixed to the outside of the offshore wind power foundation 1, and the other end is connected to the outer surface of the pressure-resistant chamber 22. After the pile foundation inner hatch 14 is opened, it can enter the interior of the floating box 2 through the flexible water-proof cushion layer 242. The flexible water-proof cushion layer 242 is used to prevent seawater from entering the pressure-resistant chamber 22 and can move up and down with the pressure-resistant chamber 22.

[0033] The data center module 3 includes a data computing center 31, a capillary tube 32, an absorber 33, a compressor 34, and a condenser 35. Among them, the capillary tube 32 is wound around the outside of the data computing center 31, and a refrigerant is placed inside the capillary tube 32. One end of the absorber 33 is connected to the capillary tube 32, and the other end is connected to the compressor 34. The other end of the compressor 34 is also connected to the condenser 35. The condenser 35 is located on the outer surface of the floating box 2, and the other end of the condenser 35 is connected to the capillary tube 32. The condenser 35 is embedded in the outer shell of the pressure-resistant chamber 22 and sealed. Preferably, it is a honeycomb structure that can increase the contact area with seawater. During specific operation, after the refrigerant inside the capillary tube 32 absorbs the heat of the data computing center 31, it flows through the absorber 33 and then to the compressor 34. The compressor 34 transports the compressed refrigerant to the condenser 35. When the refrigerant flows through the condenser 35, it exchanges heat with seawater, and the exchanged refrigerant flows back into the capillary tube 32 again.

[0034] In addition, more preferably, the data center module 3 further includes a dryer filter 36. One end of the dryer filter 36 is connected to the condenser 35, and the other end is connected to the capillary tube 32. After the refrigerant exchanges heat with seawater when flowing through the condenser 35, the cooled refrigerant then enters the dryer filter 36 for drying treatment to prevent moisture from forming ice layers in the refrigeration system and blocking the pipeline. The dried refrigerant flows back into the capillary tube 32 for a new round of refrigeration.

[0035] The above embodiments have described the present invention in detail, but the content described is only the preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be considered as limiting the scope of implementation of the present invention. Any equal changes and improvements made according to the scope of the present invention application should still fall within the scope covered by the patent of the present invention.

Claims

1. A floating submarine data center, comprising an offshore wind power foundation (1), a floating box (2) and a data center module (3), wherein the floating box (2) is provided with a data center module (3), characterized in that: The floating box (2) is arranged at the bottom of the offshore wind power foundation (1) and is connected to the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation (1) through a movable connection component. The floating box (2) includes a pressure-resistant chamber (22). The movable connection component includes a linear sleeve (15) and a sliding kit (24). The sliding kit (24) includes a hollow cylindrical slider (241). The hollow cylindrical slider (241) is sleeved on the outer surface of the linear sleeve (15). The linear sleeve (15) is installed on the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation (1) and is used for being movably connected to the pressure-resistant chamber (22), so that the floating box (2) slides up and down along the outer side of the offshore wind power foundation (1) under the action of the marine environment.

2. The floating submarine data center according to claim 1, characterized in that: The offshore wind power foundation (1) is a hollow structure, and a wind turbine power transmission cable (12), a battery module (13) and a data center power transmission cable (16) are arranged inside the offshore wind power foundation (1), and the wind turbine power transmission cable (12) and the data center power transmission cable (16) are connected to the battery module (13).

3. The floating submarine data center according to claim 2, characterized in that: A power transmission cable (17) is also provided inside the offshore wind power foundation (1), and the power transmission cable (17) is also connected to the battery module (13).

4. The floating seabed data center according to claim 1, characterized in that: The offshore wind power foundation (1) further comprises a pile foundation outer door (11) and a pile foundation inner door (14), wherein the pile foundation outer door (11) is located above sea level, and the pile foundation inner door (14) is used to enter the data center module (3) in the floating box (2).

5. The floating seabed data center according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The floating box (2) further comprises a buoyancy chamber (21) and an anchoring structure (23), wherein the pressure-resistant chamber (22) is a hollow structure, wherein the buoyancy chamber (21) is located at the upper part of the pressure-resistant chamber (22), and one end of the anchor head of the anchoring structure (23) is fixed to the bottom of the pressure-resistant chamber (22), and the other end of the anchor body is tightly connected to the seabed soil layer.

6. The floating seabed data center according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The linear sleeve (15) is a solid cylindrical structure.

7. The floating seabed data center according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sliding kit (24) further comprises a flexible waterproof cushion layer (242), one end of the flexible waterproof cushion layer (242) being fixed to the outside of the offshore wind power foundation (1), and the other end being connected to the outer surface of the pressure-resistant chamber (22), and after the chamber door (14) in the pile foundation is opened, the inside of the floating box (2) can be entered through the flexible waterproof cushion layer (242).

8. The floating seabed data center according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The data center module (3) comprises a data computing center (31), a capillary tube (32), an absorber (33), a compressor (34) and a condenser (35), wherein the capillary tube (32) is wrapped around the outside of the data computing center (31), a refrigerant is placed inside the capillary tube (32), one end of the absorber (33) is connected to the capillary tube (32), and the other end is connected to the compressor (34), the other end of the compressor (34) is also connected to the condenser (35), the condenser (35) is located on the outer surface of the floating box (2), and the other end of the condenser (35) is connected to the capillary tube (32).

9. The floating seabed data center according to claim 8, characterized in that: The data center module (3) further comprises a drying filter (36), one end of the drying filter (36) being connected to the condenser (35) and the other end of the drying filter (36) being connected to the capillary tube (32).

10. The floating seabed data center according to claim 9, characterized in that: The condenser (35) is a honeycomb structure.

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