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Microturbines Power, Cool Servers Simultaneously

Posted by samzenpus on from the two-in-one dept.

jfruhlinger writes "The infrastructure of a large data center poses two main problems: You need to find a way to reliably power all those servers, and you need to figure out a way to deal with the heat those servers put off. Syracuse University and the University of Toledo are experimenting with one gadget to solve both problems. Small power units that run on natural gas, called microturbines, provide reliable DC power separate from the utility grid, and their heat output can paradoxically be harnessed to cool the servers and transmit the heat to other buildings on campus."

7 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Purdue University has this by Maximum+Prophet · · Score: 4, Informative

    Purdue has done this for years, but with macro turbines. The main physical plant provides power, chilled water and heat most of the University.

    --
    All ideas^H^H^H^H^Hprocesses in this post are Patent Pending. (as well as the process of patenting all postings)
    1. Re:Purdue University has this by goofy183 · · Score: 4, Informative

      Citation?

      Many EDUs and other large business campuses use tri-gen plants and from everything I've seen they arguably are significantly more efficient per unit of input engery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trigeneration

  2. Awwww shit..... by Immostlyharmless · · Score: 3, Funny

    My gaming PC already sounds like a Hoover and now you're telling me the next evolution in cooling is to put a turbine in it? :o(

    1. Re:Awwww shit..... by skids · · Score: 4, Interesting

      No this is for server rooms. Something tells me most people won't want to run a line from their natgas system into their server.

      Speaking of server noise, though, I've often wondered if a laminar-friction impeller might at least not have that high-pitched whine. Basically this is a squat horn-shaped surface spun really fast. The air enters through the hole and gets accelerated by laminar friction out in all directions -- so it would have to be redirected with a hood to produce a lateral flow compatible with server fans, but then might be able to "entrain" like that ridiculous looking Coand-effect donut fan that Dyson sells. The main problem is the bearing has to fit around the big hole, so that's much more bearing adding to the cost of the unit. Though it might be possible with careful motor design to make the whole plate levitate rather than ride a bearing. The huge advantage, other than the lack of turbulence, would be there's no leading surface on which dust and debris can perch.

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      Someone had to do it.
  3. Turbo button? by HornWumpus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Will it finally have meaning?

    Will future PCs suffer from turbine lag?

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  4. chp by thejaq · · Score: 5, Informative

    This is combined heat and power many facilities do it. It is green in the sense that energy is conserved because waste heat is used rather than discarded. A data center seems to be a good opportunity. The turbine converts 1 CH4 unit to 0.3 electricity, while the absorption chiller will move about as much energy as it consumes (COP 1), which means the 0.7 waste heat off the turbine can easily move the 0.3 units of data center electricity out of the data center and 0.4 units of waste heat (+ 0.3 data center heat) can still be used for another purpose. It might be good for a data center operator, but from a systems perspective the better use for that CH4 is still in a combined cycle utility plant which can make 0.6 electricity, use the waste heat for some co-located industrial facility and make the datacenter run an electric AC (COP ~ 3).

    1. Re:chp by falzer · · Score: 3, Informative

      See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator