Combined ORC-HP thermodynamic cycles for DC cooling and waste heat recovery for central heating

Abstract

Abstract Data center is an essential part of modern life that is predicted to increase both in capacity and size over the coming years. This sector consumes a significant proportion of electricity for its operation and for the essential cooling facilities. This consumption is expected to rise with increasing demands which can result in more CO2 emission. Waste heat is an inevitable by-product of DC operation with a potential of being sustainable, low cost and environmentally friendly heat source. In this paper, we proposed a novel system that integrates three thermodynamic cycles including an ORC, a HP and a Gas burner. The aim of this system is to provide cooling for the DC as well as to utilize the rejected heat to supply hot water for central heating. The results show that this system can maintain the indoor room temperature between 18-25 oC by absorbing 12 kW of heat to increase water temperature from 50 to 80 oC. In addition, the system can achieve an overall fuel-to-heat efficiency of 141.8%. Therefore, utilizing such system can have a great potential of improving DC performance as well as providing usable energy by waste heat recovery.