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Why aren't air heat pumps a green solution to cooling computer datacenters?

I have a small computer datacenter that consumes about 25kw. Airconditioning cools it to about 25C.

When renewing the airconditioning, I suggested replacing it with air heat pumps for 'green' cooling, so the heat could be used to heat water for radiator space eating or hot water heating. I was hit by a barrage of reasons why this wouldn't work, although my calculations suggest it would. However, I can't find any suppliers for this, which suggests I am wrong.

Would it work, and if not, why not?

sssss
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  • Asked by bb193
  • on 2010-10-03 10:29:14
  • Member status
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Categories: Technology.

Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

 

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petethebloke says:

I can see no reason at all why you can't exchange the surplus heat from the data centre and use it for the office space. 

I would expect your cost v. savings analysis to show a much shorter timescale than geothermal or solar heating for a house.

Instead of talking to air-con installers, have you tried talking to companies that install heat exchangers as their main business? I bet they'd know how to plumb you up.

Good luck.

sssss
 (2 votes) average rating:3

Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-10-03 13:39:40 | Report abuse

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Georg says:

I can see no reason at all why you can't exchange the surplus heat from the data centre and use it for the office space.

 

Aha.

25 kW power day and night, summer and winter plus some

extra power for the heat pump.

I see some problems there.

Georg

 

sssss
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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-23 10:42:01 | Report abuse

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petethebloke says:

Can you expand Georg?

Surely, if there's excess heat it can be used for hot water or radiators in the office space? After all, solar and geothermal heating systems extract energy from a temperature difference of a few degrees. What am I missing?

sssss
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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-23 11:32:56 | Report abuse

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Georg says:

Hello Pete,

is this that complicated?

What will You do with 25 kW in summer time?

Is thinking of a balance of suppy and demand

so difficult?

Not thinking of that is typical for "Greenies".

Georg

 

 

 

sssss
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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-23 15:49:18 | Report abuse

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petethebloke says:

>What will You do with 25 kW in summer time?<

Granted, Georg, but 25kW is the input energy, the residual heat is less, the convertible part of it is less again. However, if the choice is between using some of that heat for a useful purpose or just throwing it out, then using it makes sense. Whether it's economically viable in this (or any) situation, is another matter, but that's not what I was answering.

I'm no "greenie" - partly because I dislike all religions and partly because I'm a sceptic by nature - but I always try to avoid waste because millions of my ancestors had to live efficiently or die. Squandering precious resources is foolish at best. Making parsimoniousness attractive can be a good thing - look how the efficiency of cars has increased in 100 years (though I won't defend the way the efficiencies have been used to increase car size!)

sssss
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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-24 11:00:34 | Report abuse

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Paul_Pedant says:

In a free and fair society, I would grow dope in the car park with the excess heat. Otherwise, tomatoes and dates.

 

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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-24 17:21:05 | Report abuse


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Jon-Richfield says:

I remain agnostic about whether it would be profitable or not, though it is perfectly plausible that a good scheme could be made to pay, but for a change I am moved to diverge from Georg's view. Pete seems nearer the mark. If it were an isolated situation of trying to match one's own consumption to one's own power supply from the heat pump or similar system, Georg might have a point, though even then one might argue that by turning down the heat pump when its output is unwanted, one might mitigate the least welcome importunities of an over-solicitous system. And then? Then some heat-energy might go to waste. But some would not and what did would have gone to waste anyway.

However, usually there will be more power sinks than sources. If there are network suppliers, then it might be that they could buy surpluses. (Apparently not applicable in this case, but...) If it is summertime, the aircon might want power,  and if winter-time, there is heating. I even have known a company that used its waste heat for a heated swimming pool.

The main objection to a viable system (apart from the ubiquitous NIH!) as I see it, is that the system is likely to be small and not off-the-shelf. Small is beautiful, but it often is inefficient too. So you get a small, dedicated crew putting together something that might work sort-of, but needs that crew for support. It might pay if one neglect's the dedication of the crew, or it never might pay. If the system were all off-the-shelf with instruction books and standard components, it might cost a tenth as much, but there seldom is much point to asking the opinions of the guys behind the counters of the local hardware stores, or the counters behind the piles of beans in the company offices. Nor are they likely to care about functions that deliver important services when other systems are down...

Their job is to tell you how it won't work, not how to make it work.

I may have quoted this before; I shall do so again from time to time:

Experts get their expert fun

Ex cathedra telling one

Just how nothing can be done.

     Piet Hein

sssss
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Tags: thermodynamics, green, cooling, heatpump, datacenter, airconditioning, spaceheating.

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posted on 2010-12-24 08:23:28 | Report abuse


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