Cooling tower with waste heat recovery anti-freezing structure

Abstract

The utility model provides a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery anti-freezing structure, which comprises a cooling tower body with a tower tray; the waste heat recovery anti-freezing structure comprises a first heat exchanger and a circulating pump, the first heat exchanger is arranged in the tower tray, a heat exchange working medium circulates in the first heat exchanger, and the circulating pump is used for driving the heat exchange working medium to circularly enter and exit from the first heat exchanger. The heat exchange working medium can exchange heat with chilled water in an air conditioner chilled water return pipe in the data center machine room so as to absorb heat of the chilled water in the air conditioner chilled water return pipe, and the freezing point of the heat exchange working medium is lower than that of water in the tower tray. According to the utility model, the tray is prevented from freezing by utilizing recovered waste heat, cold water in the data center machine room can be cooled, the energy consumption of the data center machine room is reduced to the maximum extent, and the purposes of energy conservation and carbon reduction are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of cooling tower antifreeze design technology, specifically to a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery antifreeze structure. Background Technology

[0002] Advances in computer technology have greatly accelerated human evolution and development. my country has fully entered the information society and is developing rapidly. Technologies such as cloud computing, big data, and wearable devices are emerging at an unprecedented pace.

[0003] With the development of information technology, data centers, which support the processing, storage, and exchange of information data, have also entered a stage of rapid development. As data centers develop rapidly, the resulting energy consumption problem has become increasingly prominent. In response, various regions in my country have issued relevant policies to limit the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of data centers. At the same time, technical personnel in related fields are constantly developing new technologies and equipment, all with the aim of reducing the energy consumption of data center air conditioning and other components.

[0004] Large data center air conditioning systems mostly use water-cooled chilled water systems. These systems are equipped with water-cooled chiller units and cooling towers. In addition to serving as heat dissipation equipment for the water-cooled chiller units during the summer and transitional seasons, the cooling towers also function as natural cooling equipment in winter. In winter, the cooling towers exchange heat with the outdoor air to obtain low-temperature chilled water, which directly exchanges heat with the chilled water in the data center's air conditioning system to provide cooling water for the data center. The water-cooled chiller units are not in operation during this period.

[0005] When cooling towers are used as natural cooling devices, electric auxiliary heating is installed in the water pan to prevent freezing. When the water temperature in the pan drops below a certain level, the electric auxiliary heating needs to be activated to prevent freezing. This part directly uses electricity as a heat source to heat the water, resulting in high energy consumption. Based on the aforementioned shortcomings of related technologies, this utility model is proposed. Utility Model Content

[0006] One of the purposes of this utility model is to provide a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure, which can transfer the waste heat in the data center computer room to the cooling tower tray to heat the cooling tower and prevent it from freezing at low temperatures, and can also cool the chilled water of the data center computer room air conditioner, thereby minimizing the energy consumption of the data center computer room and achieving the purpose of energy saving and carbon reduction.

[0007] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure, comprising:

[0008] A cooling tower body, wherein the cooling tower body has a tray;

[0009] The waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure includes a first heat exchanger and a circulating pump. The first heat exchanger is disposed in the tray and a heat exchange medium flows through the first heat exchanger. The circulating pump is used to drive the heat exchange medium to circulate in and out of the first heat exchanger. The heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the chilled water in the air conditioning chilled water return pipe in the data center computer room to absorb the heat of the chilled water in the air conditioning chilled water return pipe. The freezing point of the heat exchange medium is lower than the freezing point of the water in the tray.

[0010] In some embodiments, the waste heat recovery antifreeze structure further includes:

[0011] The second heat exchanger is connected in series with the first heat exchanger, and the heat exchange medium exchanges heat with the chilled water in the second heat exchanger.

[0012] In some implementations...

[0013] The second heat exchanger has a first pipe and a second pipe that are connected in parallel. The second heat exchanger is connected in parallel with the air conditioning chilled water return pipe through the first pipe and the second pipe. The first pipe and the second pipe are respectively provided with on-off valves, which are used to control the chilled water entering and leaving the second heat exchanger.

[0014] In some implementations...

[0015] The second heat exchanger also has a third pipe and a fourth pipe connected together. The third pipe is connected to the first port of the first heat exchanger, and the circulating pump is connected in series on the third pipe. The fourth pipe is connected to the second port of the first heat exchanger. A liquid replenishment valve is provided on the third pipe on the inlet side of the circulating pump.

[0016] In some implementations...

[0017] A pressure tank is installed on the third pipe on the inlet side of the circulating pump.

[0018] In some implementations...

[0019] Temperature sensors are installed on the pipe sections of the first, second, third, and fourth pipes that are respectively connected to the second heat exchanger and in the tray.

[0020] In some embodiments, the cooling tower with waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure further includes:

[0021] The controller is used to acquire the real-time temperature detected by the temperature sensor and control the start and stop of the circulating pump and the on / off state of the on / off valve according to the control strategy.

[0022] In some implementations...

[0023] The heat exchange medium is an ethylene glycol solution.

[0024] This utility model discloses a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure: a first heat exchanger is installed in the tower tray. The heat exchange medium in the first heat exchanger absorbs heat from the chilled water in the return pipe of the air conditioning chilled water in the data center computer room. In other words, the heat exchange medium transfers the absorbed heat to the first heat exchanger, thereby heating the cooling water in the tower tray. This prevents the cooling water in the tower tray from freezing in low-temperature environments. There is no need to install a separate electric heating component in the tower tray for heating. This realizes the use of waste heat recovery to prevent the tower tray from freezing and can also cool the chilled water in the data center computer room, minimizing the energy consumption of the data center computer room and achieving the purpose of energy saving and carbon reduction. Attached Figure Description

[0025] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It should be understood that the drawings described below only relate to some embodiments of this utility model, and are not intended to limit this utility model, wherein:

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the picture:

[0028] 1. Cooling tower body; 11. Tower tray; 21. First heat exchanger; 22. Circulating pump; 23. Second heat exchanger; 231. First pipe; 232. Second pipe; 233. Third pipe; 234. Fourth pipe; 235. On / off valve; 31. Liquid replenishment valve; 32. Pressure regulating tank; 33. Temperature sensor; 4. Controller; 101. Air conditioning chilled water return pipe; 102. Air conditioning chilled water supply pipe.

[0029] In the accompanying diagram, markers with the same last two digits correspond to the same elements. It should be noted that the elements in the diagram are schematic and not drawn to scale. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this utility model clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this utility model. Based on the described embodiments of this utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are also within the scope of protection of this utility model.

[0031] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the subject matter of this invention pertains. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries shall be interpreted as having the meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and in the related art, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal form unless otherwise explicitly defined herein. As used herein, statements of “connecting” or “coupling” two or more parts together shall mean that these parts are directly joined together or joined through one or more intermediate components.

[0032] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as “above,” “below,” “left,” “right,” “top,” and “bottom” are used here to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or element to other devices or elements, as shown in the figures. For example, the terms “on,” “above,” “above,” “on the upper surface of,” “above,” “positioned on,” or “positioned on top of” mean that a first element, such as a first structure, exists on a second element, such as a second structure, where an intermediate element may or may not be present between the first and second elements. The term “contact” means connecting a first element, such as a first structure, and a second element, such as a second structure, where there may or may not be other elements at the interface between the two elements. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation in addition to the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, a device described as “above” or “on top of” other devices or structures will subsequently be positioned “below” or “under” other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term “above” can include both orientations of “above” and “below”. The device can also be positioned in other different ways, rotated 90 degrees, or in other orientations, and the spatial relative descriptions used here are explained accordingly.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 According to an embodiment of the present invention, a cooling tower with a waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure is provided, comprising:

[0034] The cooling tower body 1 has a tray 11. Specifically, the tray 11 is located at the bottom of the cooling tower body 1 and contains cooling water. The tray 11 can also be called a water tray.

[0035] The waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure (not shown in the figure) includes a first heat exchanger 21 and a circulating pump 22. The first heat exchanger 21 is disposed within the tray 11, and a heat exchange medium flows within the first heat exchanger 21. The circulating pump 22 drives the heat exchange medium to circulate in and out of the first heat exchanger 21. The heat exchange medium can exchange heat with the chilled water in the air conditioning chilled water return pipe 101 in the data center server room to absorb the heat from the chilled water in the air conditioning chilled water return pipe 101. The freezing point of the heat exchange medium is lower than the freezing point of the water in the tray 11. It is understood that the data center server room also has an air conditioning chilled water supply pipe 102, in which the chilled water supplies the corresponding heat source components, exchanges heat with the heat source components to increase its temperature, and then enters the aforementioned air conditioning chilled water return pipe 101.

[0036] In this technical solution, a first heat exchanger 21 is installed inside the tower tray 11. The heat exchange medium inside the first heat exchanger 21 absorbs the heat from the chilled water in the chilled water return pipe 101 of the air conditioning in the data center computer room. In other words, the heat exchange medium transfers the absorbed heat to the first heat exchanger 21 to heat the cooling water in the tower tray 11. This prevents the cooling water in the tower tray 11 from freezing in low-temperature environments. There is no need to install a separate electric heating component in the tower tray 11 to heat it. This solution utilizes waste heat recovery to prevent the tower tray 11 from freezing and can also cool the chilled water in the data center computer room, minimizing the energy consumption of the data center computer room and achieving the goals of energy saving and carbon reduction.

[0037] As a specific implementation method, ethylene glycol solution is used as the heat exchange medium, which has the characteristics of low freezing point and can effectively avoid freezing in low temperature environment.

[0038] In some implementations, see Figure 1 As shown, the waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure also includes a second heat exchanger 23, connected in series with the first heat exchanger 21, where the heat exchange medium and chilled water exchange heat. In this technical solution, the second heat exchanger 23 contains a first heat exchange pipe for the heat exchange medium and a second heat exchange pipe for the chilled water. The fluids in the first and second heat exchange pipes flow independently. In a preferred embodiment, the first and second heat exchange pipes have interleaved heat exchange sections to improve the heat exchange efficiency between the heat exchange medium and the chilled water. This technical solution uses the second heat exchanger 23 as the heat exchange structure between the heat exchange medium and chilled water, allowing for the selection of suitable materials based on the physicochemical properties of the heat exchange medium and chilled water. This eliminates the need to change the material of the chilled water return pipe 101, thus enabling the structure of this invention to be used in practical applications without requiring significant modifications to existing structures, resulting in greater versatility.

[0039] In some embodiments, the second heat exchanger 23 has a first pipe 231 and a second pipe 232 that are connected in parallel. The second heat exchanger 23 is connected in parallel with the air conditioning chilled water return pipe 101 through the first pipe 231 and the second pipe 232. On / off valves 235 are respectively installed on the first pipe 231 and the second pipe 232 to control the flow of chilled water into and out of the second heat exchanger 23. The aforementioned first pipe 231 and second pipe 232 are understood to be the inlet and outlet connecting pipes of the second heat exchange pipeline. Specifically, the aforementioned on / off valves 235 can be electronic switching valves.

[0040] In this technical solution, by setting on / off valves 235 on the first pipe 231 and the second pipe 232 respectively, the on / off state of the on / off valves 235 can be controlled according to the actual operating conditions to determine whether waste heat recovery and utilization is needed. For example, when the external environment is relatively high and there is no risk of freezing of the cooling water in the tray 11, the on / off valves 235 can be controlled to be in the off state. At this time, there is no need for heat exchange medium to exchange heat with chilled water, and the corresponding circulating pump 22 does not run, thereby achieving the purpose of energy saving and consumption reduction. However, when the external environment is low and there is a risk of freezing of the cooling water in the tray 11 (for example, the temperature inside is below 4°C), the on / off valves 235 are controlled to be in the connected state. At this time, the chilled water in the air conditioning chilled water return pipe 101 is guided to the second heat exchange pipe connected in parallel for heat exchange. The heat exchange medium absorbs the heat of the chilled water in the second heat exchanger 23 and transfers this part of the heat to the first heat exchanger 21 to heat the cooling water in the tray 11 and prevent it from freezing in the low temperature environment.

[0041] The second heat exchanger 23 also has a third pipe 233 and a fourth pipe 234 that are connected. The third pipe 233 and the fourth pipe 234 are understood to be the inlet and outlet connecting pipes of the first heat exchange pipeline. The third pipe 233 is connected to the first port of the first heat exchanger 21, and the circulating pump 22 is connected in series with the third pipe 233. The fourth pipe 234 is connected to the second port of the first heat exchanger 21. A liquid replenishment valve 31 is provided on the third pipe 233 on the inlet side of the circulating pump 22.

[0042] In this technical solution, the replenishment valve 31 is used to replenish the heat exchange medium in the waste heat recovery antifreeze structure in a timely manner. Its placement on the inlet side of the circulating pump 22 prevents cavitation damage to the pump body due to insufficient suction pressure, thereby improving the pumping efficiency of the circulating pump 22. It is understood that a corresponding pressure sensor (not shown in the figure) can also be installed on the third pipe 233 to detect the heat exchange medium pressure at the inlet side of the circulating pump 22 in real time. When the detected real-time pressure value is lower than a corresponding preset pressure value, the replenishment valve 31 is controlled to open and replenish the heat exchange medium into the waste heat recovery antifreeze structure.

[0043] In a preferred embodiment, a pressure regulating tank 32 is provided on the third pipe 233 on the inlet side of the circulating pump 22. Specifically, the pressure regulating tank 32 can be an accumulator capable of resisting corrosion of the heat exchange working fluid. Placing the pressure regulating tank 32 on the inlet side of the circulating pump 22 ensures that the suction pressure of the circulating pump 22 remains constant within the target range, thereby guaranteeing the pumping efficiency of the circulating pump 22.

[0044] In some embodiments, temperature sensors 33 are installed on the pipe sections of the first pipe 231, the second pipe 232, the third pipe 233, and the fourth pipe 234 that are connected to the second heat exchanger 23, and also inside the tray 11. By installing these temperature sensors 33, the real-time temperature of the heat exchange medium, chilled water, or cooling water at the corresponding locations can be monitored, thereby forming corresponding control strategies. Specifically, for example, the temperature sensor 33 installed in the tray 11 can detect the real-time temperature of the cooling water, and then determine whether there is a risk of freezing based on the real-time temperature, thereby controlling the opening and closing of the aforementioned on / off valve 235; while the temperature sensors 33 installed on the first pipe 231, the second pipe 232, the third pipe 233, and the fourth pipe 234 can monitor the operating status of the second heat exchanger 23 in real time.

[0045] The cooling tower with waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure in this utility model can be separately configured with a corresponding control system. In some embodiments, as a preferred embodiment, the cooling tower with waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure further includes:

[0046] Controller 4 is used to collect the real-time temperature detected by temperature sensor 33 and control the start and stop of circulating pump 22 and the on / off state of on / off valve 235 according to the control strategy. That is, the cooling tower with waste heat recovery and antifreeze structure of this utility model is equipped with a corresponding controller 4 to perform necessary automated control on its various electrical control components (temperature sensor 33, on / off valve 235, liquid replenishment valve 31, and pressure sensor). In this technical solution, the integrated controller 4 makes the cooling tower structure independent and improves its versatility. Of course, depending on the working conditions, the controller can also be configured with corresponding fault alarms and other safety functions. However, it is understood that the controller 4's collection, processing, and generation of corresponding control commands from the relevant sensors is a conventional processing method in the field of electrical control and is not the part that this utility model intends to protect; therefore, it will not be elaborated here.

[0047] The foregoing has described several embodiments of the present invention in detail. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A cooling tower having a waste heat recovery freeze protection structure, characterized by, The cooling tower comprises: a cooling tower body (1) having a tower tray (11); a waste heat recovery anti-freezing structure comprising a first heat exchanger (21) arranged in the tower tray (11) and a circulating pump (22) for driving the heat exchange medium to circulate in and out of the first heat exchanger (21), the heat exchange medium being capable of exchanging heat with chilled water in an air conditioner chilled water return pipe (101) in a data center room to absorb heat of the chilled water in the air conditioner chilled water return pipe (101), and the freezing point of the heat exchange medium being lower than that of water in the tower tray (11).

2. The cooling tower according to claim 1, characterized in that The waste heat recovery anti-freezing structure further comprises: a second heat exchanger (23) connected in series with the first heat exchanger (21), and the heat exchange medium and the chilled water exchange heat in the second heat exchanger (23).

3. The cooling tower according to claim 2, wherein the second heat exchanger (23) has a first pipe (231) and a second pipe (232) connected thereto, the second heat exchanger (23) is connected in parallel with the air conditioner chilled water return pipe (101) through the first pipe (231) and the second pipe (232), and on the first pipe (231) and the second pipe (232) are respectively arranged on-off valves (235) for controlling the chilled water to enter and exit the second heat exchanger (23).

4. The cooling tower according to claim 3, wherein the second heat exchanger (23) further has a third pipe (233) and a fourth pipe (234) connected thereto, the third pipe (233) is connected with a first port of the first heat exchanger (21), and the circulating pump (22) is connected in series on the third pipe (233), the fourth pipe (234) is connected with a second port of the first heat exchanger (21), and on the third pipe (233) of the inlet side of the circulating pump (22) is arranged a liquid supplement valve (31).

5. The cooling tower according to claim 3, wherein on the third pipe (233) of the inlet side of the circulating pump (22) is arranged a pressure stabilizing tank (32).

6. The cooling tower according to claim 3, wherein on the pipe sections connected with the second heat exchanger (23) and in the tower tray (11) are respectively arranged temperature sensors (33).

7. The cooling tower according to claim 6, characterized in that Further comprising: a controller (4) for collecting real-time temperatures detected by the temperature sensors (33) and controlling start and stop of the circulating pump (22) and on-off of the on-off valves (235) according to a control strategy.

8. The cooling tower according to claim 1, wherein the heat exchange medium is ethylene glycol solution.

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