Integrated EV Charging and Data Center Cooling for High-Rate Recharging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current electric vehicle recharging stations and data centers face inefficiencies in thermal management and energy use, with high cooling demands that exceed server power requirements, and security challenges in data transfer and authentication for autonomous vehicles.
Innovation Solution
Integration of a thermal management system that provides liquid coolant for both electric vehicle batteries and data centers, enabling high-rate recharging and efficient energy use, combined with decentralized data centers and distributed ledgers for secure data transfer and authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate thermal management systems are used for electric vehicle recharging stations and data centers, then each system can be independently optimized, but energy consumption increases and operational costs rise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the thermal management systems of the electric vehicle recharging station and data center into a single integrated system. The coolant circulation system serves both the battery cooling plates and data center server racks simultaneously, allowing heat extracted from data center servers to be transferred to electric vehicle batteries for thermal management, thereby reducing overall energy consumption while maintaining reliable thermal control for both applications
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal management system is designed with multi-functionality to serve dual purposes: cooling data center servers during operation and providing thermal conditioning for electric vehicle batteries during charging. The same coolant circulation infrastructure, pumps, and heat exchange mechanisms perform multiple functions, eliminating the need for separate dedicated systems and reducing total energy requirements
2Productivity
If high-rate recharging is implemented for electric vehicles, then charging speed increases, but thermal management demands exceed available cooling capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the thermal management capacity of the data center cooling system with the electric vehicle battery cooling requirements. The integrated coolant circulation system leverages the substantial cooling capacity already present in the data center infrastructure to support high-rate recharging, allowing rapid charging without overwhelming the thermal management system since the data center servers provide a heat sink that absorbs excess thermal energy
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated coolant circulation system acts as an intermediary that transfers thermal energy from the electric vehicle batteries to the data center servers. During high-rate recharging, the coolant absorbs heat from the batteries and delivers it to the server racks, which have high thermal dissipation requirements. This intermediary thermal transfer mechanism enables high-power charging while maintaining battery temperature control within safe operating limits
3Power
If data centers are centralized for efficient data processing, then processing power increases, but security risks from centralized attack points increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the centralized data center into multiple distributed edge computing nodes located at various recharging stations. Each node contains sufficient processing power to handle local autonomous vehicle data independently. This segmentation distributes computational tasks across multiple geographically dispersed locations, maintaining data processing capabilities while eliminating the single point of failure and security vulnerability associated with centralized data centers
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by placing data processing capabilities directly at the edge locations where autonomous vehicles operate. Each recharging station with an integrated data center node provides localized data processing, storage, and authentication services. This localizes critical functions to where they are most needed, reducing data transmission requirements and enhancing security by keeping sensitive operations distributed across multiple secure local nodes rather than concentrated in a single centralized facility
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
This solution reduces energy consumption, enhances security through localized data processing and authentication, and supports cost-effective, environmentally friendly operation by repurposing waste heat for other uses, while ensuring secure command and control of autonomous vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal management system including a coolant source of liquid coolant... configured for providing the liquid coolant from the coolant source to the battery of the electric vehicle while charging the electric vehicle
Implementation Method 2
The thermal management system is configured for providing liquid coolant from the coolant source to the servers
Implementation Method 3
reduces energy consumption, enhances security through localized data processing and authentication, and supports cost-effective, environmentally friendly operation by repurposing waste heat for other uses
Data Source
AI summary
An electric vehicle recharging station for recharging a battery of an electric vehicle includes a thermal management system including a coolant source of liquid coolant; a power source; an electric vehicle recharger configured for providing the liquid coolant from the coolant source to the battery of the electric vehicle while charging the electric vehicle via the power source; and a data center including a plurality of servers. The thermal management system is configured for providing liquid coolant from the coolant source to the servers.