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Project Code [EPSPG/2022/347]
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Project title
Development of Integrated Miniature Vapour-Compression Systems for Heat Management and Energy Recovery in Data Centres
Primary Funding Agency
Irish Research Council
Co-Funding Organisation(s)
n/a
Lead Organisation
Trinity College Dublin (TCD)
Project Abstract
Data centres (DCs) consume a shocking amount of electrical energy, some 200 billion kWhrs annually [1] and growing. In Ireland alone, by 2027, about 30% of grid demand will be by DCs [2]. The energy consumed by the electrical compute equipment is converted to heat, which must be managed to keep the servers from overheating. Traditionally, DCs use air as the coolant, which requires about 50% additional energy. Considering the projected global environmental crisis, it is our responsibility to act now, and engineer technologies that reduce DC energy consumption whilst simultaneously recovering the heat at temperatures that are useful for comfort and process heating. This underpins the circular economy; DCs borrow electrical energy to perform digital service, then pass it onward, as heat, to offset fossil fuel consumption in neighboring communities and industries (heating homes, food production, manufacturing etc.). This project aims to design a novel cost-effective miniature vapour-compression system that can be integrated directly into DC servers. The system will act as a refrigerator for cooling the electronics in the server. Simultaneously, the system will act as a heat pump, elevating the temperature to those commensurate with conventional boilers, which is then recovered and transported for reuse. The outcomes of the proposed research will be a new technology that, with minimal impact on the net server power, reduces DC energy consumption by eliminating the cost of air cooling, whilst at the same time boosting the temperature to sufficient temperatures to replace fossil fuel use for heating in neighboring sectors.
Grant Approved
�83,833.33
Research Theme
Carbon Stocks, GHG Emissions, Sinks and Management Options
Initial Projected Completion Date
31/08/2025