Ground-source thermal system for rejecting data center waste heat to a facility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers generate significant waste heat that requires efficient cooling, often through energy-intensive methods like dry or wet coolers, which also heat the ambient environment, and existing ground-source heat pump systems struggle with sizing and thermal energy transfer efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A thermal system integrating a data center, borehole heat exchanger, and ground-source heat pump via a dynamic downhole fluid circuit, where the data center's power capacity is sized to match facility thermal loads, allowing waste heat to be fully rejected and utilized for heating, with a borehole heat exchanger optimized for efficient energy transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If data centers use traditional cooling methods (dry or wet coolers), then waste heat can be rejected, but energy consumption increases and ambient environment is heated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat generated by data centers into a beneficial resource by integrating it with a ground-source heat pump system. The waste heat is transferred through a borehole heat exchanger to provide heating for nearby facilities, transforming what was previously a harmful thermal discharge into a useful thermal resource for space heating applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the data center cooling function with the facility heating function through a shared ground-source heat pump system. The borehole heat exchanger serves dual purposes: rejecting heat from the data center while simultaneously providing heat to the facility, combining two previously separate thermal management systems into an integrated solution.
2Use of energy by moving object
If ground-source heat pump systems are used for data center cooling, then energy efficiency improves, but system sizing and thermal energy transfer efficiency become challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The ground-source heat pump system is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: cooling the data center, heating the facility, and maintaining thermal balance in the ground. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate specialized systems and simplifies overall system configuration while improving energy efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the waste heat from the data center itself to provide heating for the facility, creating a self-sufficient thermal balance. The heat generated by the data center's operation is automatically utilized to meet the heating demands of the facility, reducing the need for external energy inputs and auxiliary systems.
3Power
If data center power capacity is increased to meet facility heating demands, then heating capability improves, but the data center becomes less efficient at rejecting waste heat
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters including the power capacity of the data center, the flow rate of the downhole fluid, and the heat pump operation to optimize both heating capability and waste heat rejection efficiency. By changing these parameters based on thermal load conditions, the system maintains high efficiency across varying operational demands.
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 system achieves high energy efficiency by leveraging data center waste heat for facility heating, reducing the need for ground heat extraction and auxiliary cooling, and optimizing borehole size, enabling continuous operation and reduced energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
A borehole heat exchanger (BHE) 112, a data center 114, and a ground-source heat pump 116 may be connected in a downhole fluid circuit 110 via a flow of a downhole fluid 118 to exchange heat with one another
Implementation Method 2
a ground-source heat pump 116 connected to a facility 122 via a facility fluid circuit 120 for exchanging heat with a facility fluid 124 of the facility 122
Data Source
AI summary
A thermal system includes a borehole heat exchanger, a facility having a peak heating load, a data center including at least one heat generating electronic component, and a ground-source heat pump. The data center, the borehole heat exchanger, and the ground-source heat pump are connected in a dynamic downhole fluid circuit with a flow of a downhole fluid. The dynamic downhole fluid circuit is configured to reject heat from the data center to the facility and to the BHE, and a power capacity of the data center is less than the peak heating load of the facility.