Inertial Pneumatic Wave Energy Converter for Power and Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large-scale computing faces challenges due to high energy consumption and heat generation, leading to increased energy budgets and cooling requirements, which are becoming more costly and complex as computational power grows.
Innovation Solution
A wave energy converter system that harnesses ocean wave energy to power computing devices, utilizing a buoy with a water tube and air turbine to generate electricity efficiently, while also employing self-propulsion and passive cooling methods to reduce energy costs and cooling complexity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If computers are located in close proximity to one another to increase computational density, then productivity increases, but heat generation increases causing computers to fail and requiring significant cooling infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the computing facility with the wave energy conversion system into an integrated floating platform. The computer housing is positioned within the buoyant structure, and the waste heat from computing operations is directly transferred to the water circulating through the wave energy device's water tube, merging two functions (power generation and cooling) into a single system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful waste heat generated by computers into a beneficial resource for the wave energy conversion system. The heat from computer components is transferred to the water circulating through the wave tube, pre-heating the water and improving the density differential that drives the wave energy conversion process, thereby turning a harmful byproduct into a useful input.
2Productivity
If electrical power is increased to support greater computational tasks, then productivity increases, but energy consumption increases requiring larger energy budgets
Solution Approach 1:
The wave energy conversion system serves multiple functions: it generates electrical power to run the computers, provides cooling for the computer components, and utilizes the waste heat to enhance its own power generation efficiency. This multi-functionality reduces the overall energy budget requirement by making the system self-sufficient and self-regulating.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides its own power and cooling requirements through the wave energy conversion process. The floating device generates electricity to power the computers and simultaneously uses the computer waste heat to improve its own thermal efficiency, creating a self-sustaining system that reduces external energy inputs.
3Temperature
If cooling infrastructure is expanded to handle increased heat generation, then temperature control improves, but device complexity and infrastructure requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling infrastructure is merged with the wave energy conversion system's water circulation apparatus. The same water tube and pump system used for wave energy conversion also serves as the cooling system, eliminating the need for separate cooling infrastructure and reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own operational components (water circulation system) to provide cooling, rather than requiring independent cooling infrastructure. The water circulating through the wave tube naturally absorbs heat from the computers, and the system's own thermal management needs are met through its primary operational function.
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 and cooling needs by utilizing wave energy to power computing devices and dissipate heat, allowing for scalable and efficient computing operations without the need for extensive infrastructure or energy transmission.
Implementation Method 1
a wave energy converter containing two substantial masses which, as a result of wave action, are driven away from and toward one another
Implementation Method 2
A wave energy converter of the present invention includes a buoyant device containing a buoyant portion causing the device to float adjacent to a surface of a body of water
Implementation Method 3
the ability of the device to withstand violent storm wave action is increased by placing the device's downward-pushing ballast adjacent to the buoy surfaces against which the upward-pushing buoyant forces of the displaced waters are imparted
Implementation Method 4
compressing and causing the expulsion through turbines of air trapped and cyclically compressed within a chamber
Implementation Method 5
causing the expulsion through turbines of air trapped and cyclically compressed within a chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A buoyant wave energy device is disclosed that incorporates an open-bottomed tube of substantial length in which is partially enclosed a first body of water that oscillates in response to wave action. The device incorporates a buoy to which an upper end of the tube is connected and inside of which is trapped a second body of water of substantial mass. A differential phase in the oscillations of the water trapped in the tube, and the oscillations of the buoy of augmented mass, result in the periodic compression of a pocket of air trapped at the top of the tube, and in the subsequent expulsion of pressurized air through a turbine, thereby generating electrical power.