Innovative approaches for deep decarbonization of data centers and building space heating networks : Modeling and comparison of novel waste heat recovery systems for liquid cooling systems

dc.contributorAalto-yliopistofi
dc.contributorAalto Universityen
dc.contributor.authorLu, Taoen_US
dc.contributor.authorLü, Xiaoshuen_US
dc.contributor.authorVälisuo, Petrien_US
dc.contributor.authorZhang, Qunlien_US
dc.contributor.authorClements-Croome, Dereken_US
dc.contributor.departmentDepartment of Civil Engineeringen
dc.contributor.groupauthorPerformance in Building Design and Constructionen
dc.contributor.organizationUniversity of Vaasaen_US
dc.contributor.organizationBeijing University of Civil Engineering and Architectureen_US
dc.contributor.organizationUniversity of Readingen_US
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-04T09:06:08Z
dc.date.available2024-01-04T09:06:08Z
dc.date.issued2024-03-01en_US
dc.descriptionFunding Information: This project has received funding from the European Union - NextGenerationEU instrument and is funded by the Academy of Finland under grant number No 353562 . Publisher Copyright: © 2023
dc.description.abstractThe data usage surge drives greater data center demand, amplifying global CO2 emissions. Mitigating climate change necessitates reducing data center CO2 emissions. Reusing waste heat from data centers offers a potential energy efficiency boost and environmental impact reduction. This study utilizes liquid cooling technology to raise waste heat temperature for building space heating and introduces the concept of ‘data furnaces,’ where data centers directly supply waste heat to heat buildings on-site, reducing district heating consumption and lowering CO2 emissions. Efficiently designing a heat recovery heat exchanger system that accounts for both heat rejection and cooling sides of a liquid cooling system is crucial for achieving complete heat recovery without using heat pump, a commonly overlooked aspect in existing literature. To address this issue, we propose two heat exchanger schemes: connecting the building space heating network to the secondary side (Scheme 1) and the primary side (Scheme 2) of the cooling distribution unit. Implementing these innovations leads to the elimination of dependence on a heat pump, substantially cutting energy and CO2 emissions. Using TRNSYS software, we develop, model, and compare waste heat recovery schemes to curb district heating consumption and CO2 emissions. To demonstrate broad implications of the proposed approaches for energy efficiency and sustainability in the data centers and building space heating networks, a showcase study examines constant 25 kW waste heat from a direct-to-chip liquid-cooled rack in an office building with 285.7 MWh annual space heating demand. A novel waste heat recovery rate relationship graph is created to assist system design, uncovering an unexpected result in Scheme 2: waste heat recovery decreases as outdoor temperature falls. In contrast, Scheme 1 maintains a stable waste heat recovery rate around 25 kW, regardless of outdoor temperature fluctuations. As a result, Scheme 1 reuses 155.2 MWh of waste heat annually compared to 138 MWh for Scheme 2. Schemes 1 and 2 yield annual electricity savings of 2290.5 kWh and 905.2 kWh, respectively, for the cooling system. Both schemes achieve profitability within a year through a 25-year life cycle analysis (LCC) and substantially reduce CO2 emissions, with Scheme 1 saving 291,996 kgCO2 and Scheme 2 saving 258,192 kgCO2. The study addresses critical gaps in existing literature by emphasizes LCC. The proposed heat exchanger designs represent pioneering solutions for optimizing waste heat recovery, particularly in challenging climates. New findings offer substantial benefits to both liquid-cooled and air-cooled facilities, making significant contributions to achieve carbon neutrality in data center operations.en
dc.description.versionPeer revieweden
dc.format.extent16
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdfen_US
dc.identifier.citationLu, T, Lü, X, Välisuo, P, Zhang, Q & Clements-Croome, D 2024, ' Innovative approaches for deep decarbonization of data centers and building space heating networks : Modeling and comparison of novel waste heat recovery systems for liquid cooling systems ', Applied Energy, vol. 357, 122473 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122473en
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.apenergy.2023.122473en_US
dc.identifier.issn0306-2619
dc.identifier.issn1872-9118
dc.identifier.otherPURE UUID: a875944e-0e36-4332-9da6-d0055f237e53en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE ITEMURL: https://research.aalto.fi/en/publications/a875944e-0e36-4332-9da6-d0055f237e53en_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE LINK: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85179821555&partnerID=8YFLogxKen_US
dc.identifier.otherPURE FILEURL: https://research.aalto.fi/files/132047288/1-s2.0-S0306261923018378-main.pdfen_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://aaltodoc.aalto.fi/handle/123456789/125494
dc.identifier.urnURN:NBN:fi:aalto-202401041183
dc.language.isoenen
dc.publisherElsevier Science Ltd.
dc.relation.ispartofseriesApplied Energyen
dc.relation.ispartofseriesVolume 357en
dc.rightsopenAccessen
dc.subject.keywordBuilding space heatingen_US
dc.subject.keywordData center waste heat utilizationen_US
dc.subject.keywordDistrict heating networksen_US
dc.subject.keywordLife cycle CO emission reductionen_US
dc.subject.keywordLife cycle costen_US
dc.subject.keywordLiquid-cooled racken_US
dc.titleInnovative approaches for deep decarbonization of data centers and building space heating networks : Modeling and comparison of novel waste heat recovery systems for liquid cooling systemsen
dc.typeA1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessäfi
dc.type.versionpublishedVersion

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