Data Center Heat Pump Cascade for Waste Heat Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Data centers face challenges in maintaining efficient cooling and heating, especially in seasons without natural heat sinks, and ensuring continuous heating even when waste heat is not available, particularly in container-based setups with numerous processors.
Innovation Solution
A method utilizing a cascade of parallel heat pumps connected to both cold and hot water circuits, with three-way valves and controllable throttle valves, allowing for efficient cooling and heating by switching between modes and using external dry cooling, and enabling operation as air-water heat pumps in emergencies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If cold water cooling is used to cool computer components, then cooling efficiency is improved, but the thermal energy cannot be utilized for heating purposes
Solution Approach 1:
The heat pump system enables the cooling water circuit to serve dual purposes: cooling computer components during high-load operations and providing heating thermal energy during low-load operations or winter seasons. The same water circuit that cools the computers becomes a heat source for heating adjacent buildings, eliminating energy waste and enabling year-round utilization of thermal energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temperature parameters of the cooling water dynamically based on operational needs. During cooling mode, the water is maintained at low temperatures to absorb heat from computers. During heating mode, the heat pump raises the water temperature to provide thermal energy for heating, thus adapting the thermal parameters to different seasonal and operational requirements.
2Loss of energy
If waste heat from computers is used for heating adjacent rooms, then energy efficiency is improved, but heating cannot be guaranteed when computers are not operating
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically switches between different operational modes based on computer activity and heating requirements. When computers are operating at high load, the cooling system captures waste heat for heating purposes. When computer load is low or absent, the heat pump activates to provide heating independently, ensuring continuous heating availability while maintaining energy efficiency during periods when waste heat is available.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat pump acts as an intermediary device that bridges the gap between computer cooling and building heating requirements. It can operate in two modes: recovering waste heat from the cooling water when available, or functioning as an independent heat source when computer waste heat is insufficient or unavailable, thus ensuring reliable heating while maximizing energy efficiency.
3Device complexity
If a single cooling water circuit is used, then system complexity is reduced, but flexible thermal management is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling water system is segmented into distinct circuits with different temperature levels: a cold water circuit for direct computer component cooling and a hot water circuit for heating applications. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each circuit for its specific purpose while enabling flexible thermal management through selective operation of heat exchangers and heat pumps connected to each circuit.
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 ensures year-round efficient cooling and heating of data centers and connected rooms, optimizing energy use and maintaining room temperature even without waste heat from computing components, by leveraging a dual water circuit system with heat pumps and dry cooling for flexible thermal management.
Implementation Method 1
a cascade of parallel heat pumps (3), which can be activated individually or in groups... heat is extracted from the air within the room containing the computers using the low temperature level. The heat is raised to a higher temperature level with the help of the heat pump
Implementation Method 2
The thermal energy from the hot water circuit can be dissipated via a dry cooler (4)
Implementation Method 3
The components are directly coupled to a first cooling water circuit... cooling water flows through specially designed heat sinks, which are optimally connected to integrated circuits, especially processors, for optimal heat conduction
Data Source
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AI summary
Method for air conditioning components (9) that generate heat loss or waste heat, in particular components (9) of a data center, wherein the entirety of the components (9) is located in an enclosure, in particular a container (20), wherein the components (9) are on the one hand directly coupled to a first cooling water circuit and on the other hand indirectly connected via a second cooling water circuit with an air heat exchanger, wherein a cascade of parallel-connected heat pumps (3) that can be activated individually or in groups is provided for generating cooling for the second cooling water circuit, wherein a switching from a cooling operation for generating cooling to a heating operation of a connected heating circuit (1) can be realized on the condenser side (14) of the respective heat pump (3) by means of a three-way valve (10).