Data Center Waste Heat Recovery Using Outdoor Cold Sources
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Internet data centers consume excessive energy for cooling and heating, with air conditioning accounting for over 50% of power usage, and waste heat from data centers harms the environment, necessitating an energy-efficient solution that utilizes natural cold sources and recycles waste heat.
Innovation Solution
A cooling and heating energy saving system that incorporates a cooling and heating device coupled with an outdoor heat source and a circulating pump, utilizing a heat exchanger and boiler to recycle waste heat and leverage outdoor cold sources for both heating and cooling, reducing energy consumption and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If air conditioning is used for cooling the computer room, then the indoor temperature can be maintained, but energy consumption increases significantly (accounting for over 50% of total power consumption)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat from data centers into a useful resource by using heat exchangers to transfer this heat to heating systems, thereby eliminating the need for separate heating operations and reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining comfortable indoor temperatures
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is designed to perform multiple functions: it cools the computer room during hot periods and provides heating during cold periods by utilizing waste heat from the data center through heat exchangers, thereby replacing the need for separate heating and cooling systems
2Temperature
If waste heat from data centers is discharged directly, then the cooling load is reduced, but environmental harm increases (impacts on atmosphere, water bodies, soil, animals, and plants)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the harmful waste heat into a beneficial resource by capturing it through heat exchangers and utilizing it for heating purposes, thereby eliminating both the environmental pollution and the need for additional heating energy consumption
3Use of energy by moving object
If outdoor cold air is used for cooling, then energy consumption is reduced, but the system complexity increases (requiring heat exchangers, circulating pumps, and control systems)
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses heat exchangers and circulating pumps to enable the cooling system to perform both cooling and heating functions throughout the year, utilizing outdoor cold air in summer and waste heat in winter, thereby reducing overall energy consumption despite the increased device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces heat exchangers as intermediary devices that facilitate heat transfer between the outdoor air, waste heat from data centers, and the indoor environment, enabling efficient thermal energy utilization while maintaining system manageability through standardized components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces energy consumption by utilizing outdoor heat sources for heating and recycling waste heat, while using outdoor cold sources for cooling, thereby maintaining a comfortable indoor environment while minimizing environmental harm.
Implementation Method 1
a heat exchanger (15)... The heat exchanger (15) receives heat generated from the cooling and heating device (10) and the data center (13)
Implementation Method 2
The cooling and heating device (10) performs indoor cooling or heating and is coupled to the outdoor heat source (11) to obtain outdoor heat to supplement heating
Implementation Method 3
The circulating pump (16) receives the heat generated by the data center (13) and transfers the heat to the outdoor cold source (12) to dissipate the heat
Data Source
AI summary
A cooling and heating energy saving system includes a cooling and heating device, a data center, a boiler, a heat exchanger, and a circulating pump. The boiler receives waste heat of the data center and heat generated by the cooling and heating device, and then generates high-temperature heat and transfers the high-temperature heat to an indoor heating device. The heat exchanger receives heat from the cooling and heating device and the data center. The circulating pump receives the heat generated by the data center and transmits the heat to an outdoor cold source, and further transmits the outdoor cold source to an indoor device through the heat exchanger.