Seawater desalination system for gradient utilization of waste heat of coupling data center and solar energy by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas)
By designing a seawater desalination system that uses LNG gradients to couple waste heat and solar energy in data centers, the resource waste heat of LNG cooling energy and data centers is solved, and efficient and environmentally friendly seawater desalination is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202421741861.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-07-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-06-06
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-07-23
AI Technical Summary
The existing technology is difficult to efficiently utilize LNG's cold energy and waste heat from data centers, resulting in problems of waste of resources and high energy consumption. At the same time, the energy consumption of seawater desalination technology is relatively high, which restricts the replenishment of freshwater resources.
A seawater desalination system with LNG gradient coupling data center waste heat and solar energy is designed. By recycling LNG's cold energy and data center waste heat, and combining solar photoelectric photothermal power generation technology, an efficient process of seawater desalination is achieved.
By gradient recycling of LNG's cold energy and waste heat from the data center, the system's circulation efficiency and low-temperature cold energy utilization rate are improved, energy consumption is reduced, and seawater desalination is efficient and environmentally friendly.
Smart Images
Figure CN222948148U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of thermodynamic cycles, and in particular relates to a seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient coupling to decouple waste heat from a data center and solar energy. Background Art
[0002] With the development of industrialization, a large amount of fossil energy such as coal and oil has been mined and used, emitting a large amount of CO 2 and other gases that are harmful to the environment, leading to increasingly prominent environmental problems. The proposal of the "carbon peak and carbon neutrality" goals marks the country's determination to transform its energy supply. Vigorously developing renewable energy power generation and deeply recycling and utilizing medium and low-grade energy, adjusting the energy structure and improving energy utilization efficiency are one of the important technical routes to achieve energy conservation and carbon reduction. As one of the clean energy sources, natural gas has the advantages of high combustion efficiency and low greenhouse gas emissions, and has excellent substitutability for fossil energy. At present, global natural gas resources are unevenly distributed. Long-distance transportation usually requires natural gas to be liquefied into LNG, that is, cooled to -162°C. After the transportation is completed, it needs to be re-gasified to room temperature and then supplied to downstream users. However, existing conventional gasification methods often directly use media such as seawater or air to gasify LNG. A large amount of cold energy is wasted, causing cold pollution to the environment. How to gradually recycle cold energy to reduce Loss is the key to achieving efficient use of LNG cold energy. In addition, as the clean energy with the highest utilization rate, how to reasonably utilize the heat generated by solar energy in addition to power generation is also the key to further improving the efficiency of solar energy utilization.
[0003] Data centers are physical carriers for information production, computing, storage, and transmission. With the advancement of science and technology, the digital economy plays an important role in high-quality development. At the same time, the energy consumption of data centers is increasing, and a large part of the electricity consumed is converted into waste heat, which is low-grade heat energy with a temperature below 100°C. Direct discharge into the atmosphere will cause energy waste and accelerate global warming. How to adapt appropriate waste heat utilization technology to efficiently recycle and utilize this part of waste heat is a key issue.
[0004] my country is short of freshwater resources, especially in coastal industrial cities where per capita water resources are low. Seawater desalination technology is one of the effective ways to solve the water shortage problem. However, the current high energy consumption restricts the development of seawater desalination technology. How to reduce the energy consumption of seawater desalination is a strong support for the replenishment of freshwater resources. Utility Model Content
[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the utility model provides a seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient and couples the waste heat of data centers with solar energy. By recycling the cold energy of LNG and the waste heat of data centers and coupling solar photovoltaic and thermal power generation technology, seawater desalination can be efficiently achieved without the need for additional power input. At the same time, the gradient recycling of LNG cold energy can reduce the system's efficiency, thereby maximizing system performance.
[0006] The utility model is realized through the following technical solutions.
[0007] The utility model provides a seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient coupling data center waste heat and solar energy, including an LNG storage tank, a solar power generation module, and a data center waste heat utilization module;
[0008] The outlet of the LNG storage tank is connected to the inlet of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module, the outlet of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module is connected to the inlet of the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module, the outlet of the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module is connected to the inlet of the cooling side of the first heat exchanger, the outlet of the cooling side of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the cooling side of the second heat exchanger, the outlet of the heating side of the first heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first working fluid pump, the outlet of the first working fluid pump is connected to the inlet of the cooling side of the third heat exchanger, and the outlet of the cooling side of the third heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the steam turbine;
[0009] The water outlet of the solar power generation module is connected to the inlet of the heating side of the fourth heat exchanger, the outlet of the heating side of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the water return port of the solar power generation module, the outlet of the cooling side of the fourth heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank, the gas phase outlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank is connected to the inlet of the heating side of the second heat exchanger, the outlet of the heating side of the second heat exchanger is connected to the inlet of the fresh water storage tank, and the liquid phase outlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank is connected to the inlet of the heating side of the fifth heat exchanger;
[0010] The outlet of the waste heat utilization module of the data center is connected to the cooling side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger, and the cooling side outlet of the fifth heat exchanger is connected to the heating side inlet of the third heat exchanger, forming a circulation loop of the seawater desalination system.
[0011] Furthermore, LNG gradient utilization has three temperature zones, namely the first temperature zone (-162°C to -100°C), the second temperature zone (-100°C to -50°C) and the third temperature zone (-50°C to 0°C).
[0012] Furthermore, the circulating working fluid in the heating side of the first heat exchanger, the first working fluid pump, the cooling side of the third heat exchanger and the steam turbine is an organic working fluid.
[0013] Furthermore, the circulating working medium in the solar power generation module is water.
[0014] Furthermore, the first gas-liquid separation tank is a vertical gravity separation tank, which is composed of an inlet pipe, a gas outlet pipe, a liquid outlet pipe, a separation tank and a plurality of baffles spaced apart vertically, wherein the inlet pipe is arranged on the side of the separation tank, the gas outlet pipe is at the top of the separation tank, the liquid outlet pipe is at the bottom of the separation tank, and the baffle is placed inside the separation tank and above the inlet pipe.
[0015] Furthermore, the waste heat utilization medium in the data center waste heat utilization module is water.
[0016] Furthermore, the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module includes two forms. The first form is that the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module includes a sixth heat exchanger, a combustion chamber, and a second gas-liquid separation tank. The LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module flows into the cooling side of the sixth heat exchanger, releases cold energy to the heating side, and then flows into the next process. The gas is burned in the combustion chamber and becomes a gas containing CO 2 The high-temperature and high-pressure gas then flows into the heating side of the sixth heat exchanger to release heat. After the heat release is completed, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas becomes a low-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase working medium. Then the low-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase working medium continues to flow into the second gas-liquid separation tank, where the liquid phase CO 2 It is stored in the second gas-liquid separation tank, and the gas phase flows out from the outlet of the second gas-liquid separation tank to the next component, thereby completing the carbon capture process; the second is the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module includes a seventh heat exchanger, a second working fluid pump and a cold storage. The LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module flows into the cooling side of the seventh heat exchanger, releases the cold energy to the heating side, and then flows into the next process. The circulating working fluid in the cold storage flows from the cold storage to the heating side of the seventh heat exchanger, absorbs the cold energy from the cooling side, and is then driven by the second working fluid pump to flow back to the cold storage, thereby completing the cold storage refrigeration process, wherein the circulating working fluid in the cold storage is ammonia.
[0017] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:
[0018] By recycling the cold energy of LNG, a large amount of cold By recycling the waste heat from the data center, the utilization rate of medium and low-grade thermal energy can be increased, and the energy consumption of the circulation system can be reduced. By collecting high-grade heat from solar energy, seawater desalination can be achieved, energy consumption can be reduced, and ultimately system efficiency can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient coupled with waste heat from a data center and solar energy according to the utility model;
[0020] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first gas-liquid separation tank;
[0021] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of Example 1 of the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module - low temperature carbon capture;
[0022] Figure 4 This is the schematic diagram of cold storage refrigeration in Example 2 of the cold energy utilization module in the second temperature zone. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] The following is a further description of the structures involved in the present invention or the technical terms used. These descriptions are merely examples of how the present invention is implemented and do not constitute any limitation to the present invention.
[0024] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left" and "right" indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the positions or elements referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operate in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limitations of the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0025] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, "connection", "fixation" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.
[0026] like Figure 1-2 As shown, the utility model provides a seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient coupling data center waste heat and solar energy:
[0027] The low-temperature LNG-162℃ flows out from the LNG storage tank 101, flows into the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module 102 to release cold energy (point 1 to point 2 in the figure), and then enters the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module 103 to release cold energy again (point 2 to point 3 in the figure); after completing the two cold energy releases, the LNG continues to flow into the cooling side of the first heat exchanger 104 to cool the circulating working fluid on the heating side of the first heat exchanger 104 (point 3 to point 4 in the figure), and then flows into the cooling side of the second heat exchanger 105 to cool the circulating working fluid on the heating side of the second heat exchanger 105 (point 4 to point 5 in the figure), and finally completes the gradient release of LNG cold energy.
[0028] After the circulating working fluid on the heating side of the first heat exchanger 104 is cooled (from 6 to 7 in the figure), it flows into the first working fluid pump 106 for pressurization (from 7 to 8 in the figure), and then flows into the cooling side of the third heat exchanger 107, absorbing heat from the cooling side of the fifth heat exchanger 113 (from 8 to 9 in the figure), thereby driving the steam turbine 108 to perform external work and generate electrical energy (from 9 to 6 in the figure).
[0029] The high-temperature circulating medium at the outlet of the solar power generation module 109 flows into the heating side of the fourth heat exchanger 110, releases heat to the cooling side (10 o'clock and 11 o'clock in the figure), and then enters the solar power generation module 109, absorbs heat and flows back into the heating side of the fourth heat exchanger 110.
[0030] The liquid seawater in the cooling side of the fourth heat exchanger 110 absorbs the heat from the heating side and becomes gas-liquid two-phase seawater (12 o'clock to 13 o'clock in the figure), wherein the gas phase and the liquid phase are water vapor and brine, and then flows into the first gas-liquid separation tank 111 to implement gas-liquid separation. Among them, the first gas-liquid separation tank 111 is a vertical gravity separation tank, which is composed of an inlet pipe 111-1, a gas outlet pipe 111-2, a liquid outlet pipe 111-3, a separation tank 111-4 and a plurality of baffles 111-5 arranged at intervals up and down. After the gas-liquid two-phase seawater flows into the separation tank 111-4 from the inlet pipe 111-1, phase separation occurs due to the density difference between the gas and liquid phases. Most of the brine flows to the bottom of the separation tank 111-4 and accumulates to form a liquid film, flows out from the liquid outlet pipe 111-3 (13 o'clock to 16 o'clock in the figure), and flows to the fifth heat exchanger 113. The heating side releases heat to the cooling side (16 to 17 in the figure), and then is discharged back to the sea; the remaining brine is entrained by water vapor in the form of droplets, and is separated from the water vapor for a second time under the action of the baffle 111-5. By configuring multiple baffles 111-5 with different flow directions, the droplets cannot continue to flow upward due to the inertial force hitting the baffle 111-5 during the flow process, and multiple droplets accumulate to form a liquid film and flow downward along the wall, while the water vapor flows out from the gas outlet pipe 111-2 (13 to 14 in the figure), thus completing the entire gas-liquid separation process. The water vapor flowing out of the gas phase outlet then flows into the heating side of the second heat exchanger 105 to release heat to the cooling side, thereby becoming liquid water (14 to 15 in the figure), and finally stored in the fresh water storage tank 112.
[0031] The liquid working medium in the data center waste heat utilization module 114 flows to the cooling side of the fifth heat exchanger 113 to absorb heat (from 18 to 19 in the figure) and becomes a high-temperature liquid working medium; then it flows into the third heat exchanger 107 to release heat to the cooling side (from 19 to 20 in the figure), thereby forming a circulation loop for the entire system.
[0032] Two types of second temperature zone cold energy utilization modules 103 are now introduced.
[0033] Example 1
[0034] See also Figure 3 , the LNG cold energy in the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module 103 is used for low temperature carbon capture as implementation scheme 1. The LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module 102 flows into the cooling side of the sixth heat exchanger 201, releases cold energy to the heating side (point 2 to point 3 in the figure), and then flows into the next process. After the gas is burned in the combustion chamber 202, it becomes CO 2 The high-temperature and high-pressure gas (21 to 22 in the figure) then flows into the heating side of the sixth heat exchanger 201 to release heat to the LNG (22 to 23 in the figure); after the heat release is completed, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas becomes a low-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase working fluid, and the temperature is lower than that of CO 2 Boiling point, the liquid phase is mainly rich in CO 2 ; Then the low temperature and high pressure gas-liquid two-phase working medium continues to flow into the second gas-liquid separation tank 203, in which the CO 2 The liquid phase is stored in the tank, while the gas flows out from the outlet of the second gas-liquid separation tank 203 to the next component (point 23 to point 24 in the figure), thereby completing the carbon capture process and realizing the utilization of LNG cold energy.
[0035] Example 2
[0036] See also Figure 4 , the LNG cold energy in the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module 103 is used for cold storage refrigeration as implementation plan 2. The LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module 102 flows into the cooling side of the seventh heat exchanger 301, releases cold energy to the heating side (points 2 to 3 in the figure), and then flows into the next process. The circulating working fluid in the cold storage 303 flows from the cold storage 303 to the heating side of the seventh heat exchanger 301, absorbs the cold energy from the LNG on the cooling side (points 25 to 26 in the figure), and is then driven by the second working fluid pump 302 (points 26 to 27 in the figure) and flows back to the cold storage 303, thereby completing the cold storage refrigeration process and realizing the utilization of LNG cold energy. Among them, the circulating working fluid in the cold storage is ammonia.
[0037] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or to replace some of the technical features therein with equivalents. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.
Claims
1. A seawater desalination system that utilizes LNG gradient coupled with data center waste heat and solar energy, characterized in that: It includes an LNG storage tank (101), a solar power generation module (109) and a data center waste heat utilization module (114); The outlet of the LNG storage tank (101) is connected to the inlet of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module (102), the outlet of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module (102) is connected to the inlet of the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module (103), the outlet of the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module (103) is connected to the cooling side inlet of the first heat exchanger (104), the cooling side outlet of the first heat exchanger (104) is connected to the cooling side inlet of the second heat exchanger (105), the heating side outlet of the first heat exchanger (104) is connected to the inlet of the first working fluid pump (106), the outlet of the first working fluid pump (106) is connected to the cooling side inlet of the third heat exchanger (107), and the cooling side outlet of the third heat exchanger (107) is connected to the inlet of the steam turbine (108); The water outlet of the solar power generation module (109) is connected to the heating side inlet of the fourth heat exchanger (110), the heating side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger (110) is connected to the water return port of the solar power generation module (109), the cooling side outlet of the fourth heat exchanger (110) is connected to the inlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank (111), the gas phase outlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank (111) is connected to the heating side inlet of the second heat exchanger (105), the heating side outlet of the second heat exchanger (105) is connected to the inlet of the fresh water storage tank (112), and the liquid phase outlet of the first gas-liquid separation tank (111) is connected to the heating side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger (113); The outlet of the data center waste heat utilization module (114) is connected to the cooling side inlet of the fifth heat exchanger (113), and the cooling side outlet of the fifth heat exchanger (113) is connected to the heating side inlet of the third heat exchanger (107), forming a circulation loop of the seawater desalination system.
2. The LNG gradient utilization coupled data center waste heat and solar energy desalination system according to claim 1 is characterized by: The circulating working fluid in the heating side of the first heat exchanger (104), the first working fluid pump (106), the cooling side of the third heat exchanger (107) and the steam turbine (108) is an organic working fluid.
3. The LNG gradient utilization coupled data center waste heat and solar energy desalination system according to claim 1 is characterized by: The circulating working medium in the solar power generation module (109) is water.
4. The LNG gradient utilization coupled data center waste heat and solar energy desalination system according to claim 1 is characterized by: The first gas-liquid separation tank (111) is a vertical gravity separation tank, which is composed of an inlet pipe (111-1), a gas outlet pipe (111-2), a liquid outlet pipe (111-3), a separation tank (111-4), and a plurality of baffles (111-5) arranged at intervals up and down, wherein the inlet pipe (111-1) is arranged on the side of the separation tank (111-4), the gas outlet pipe (111-2) is at the top of the separation tank (111-4), the liquid outlet pipe (111-3) is at the bottom of the separation tank (111-4), and the baffle (111-5) is placed in the separation tank (111-4) and above the inlet pipe (111-1).
5. The LNG gradient utilization coupled data center waste heat and solar energy desalination system according to claim 1 is characterized by: The waste heat utilization medium in the data center waste heat utilization module (114) is water.
6. The LNG gradient utilization coupled data center waste heat and solar energy desalination system according to claim 1 is characterized by: The second temperature zone cold energy utilization module (103) includes two forms. The first form is that the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module (103) includes a sixth heat exchanger (201), a combustion chamber (202) and a second gas-liquid separation tank (203). The LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module (102) flows into the cooling side of the sixth heat exchanger (201), releases cold energy to the heating side, and then flows into the next process. After the gas is burned in the combustion chamber (202), it becomes a high-temperature and high-pressure gas containing CO2, and then flows into the heating side of the sixth heat exchanger (201) to release heat. After the heat release is completed, the high-temperature and high-pressure gas becomes a low-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase working fluid, and then the low-temperature and high-pressure gas-liquid two-phase working fluid continues to flow into the second gas-liquid separation tank (203), wherein the liquid phase CO2 is stored in the second gas-liquid separation tank (203), the gas phase flows out from the outlet of the second gas-liquid separation tank (203) to the next component, thereby completing the carbon capture process; the second is that the second temperature zone cold energy utilization module (103) includes a seventh heat exchanger (301), a second working fluid pump (302) and a cold storage (303), the LNG flowing out of the first temperature zone cold energy utilization module (102) flows into the cooling side of the seventh heat exchanger (301), releases the cold energy to the heating side, and then flows into the next process, the circulating working fluid in the cold storage (303) flows from the cold storage (303) to the heating side of the seventh heat exchanger (301), absorbs the cold energy from the cooling side, and then is driven by the second working fluid pump (302) to flow back to the cold storage (303), thereby completing the refrigeration process of the cold storage (303), wherein the circulating working fluid in the cold storage (303) is ammonia.