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    • 专利摘要:
    Heating system for heating a liquid in a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits. The system comprises at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks. The at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a plurality of heat transfer units adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of performing the calculation tasks of the at least one processing unit to heating fluid in each of the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits.
    公开号:BE1025458B1
    申请号:E2018/5125
    申请日:2018-03-02
    公开日:2019-03-11
    发明作者:Chris Minnoy
    申请人:Minnoy Bvba；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    Title: a heating system and a heating method
    FIELD OF THE INVENTION
    The invention relates to heating systems, and methods of heating. The invention also relates to data processing.
    BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
    Data centers are becoming part of our everyday life. When we go online with our devices, such as smart phones, we use such data centers owned by large companies. Due to the ever increasing connectivity, millions of computers are available to us, counting 24 out of 7. Petabytes of data are stored on even more hard drives. In order for these data centers to function properly, several large power plants are needed, mostly powered by coal or natural gas. It is expected that by 2020 an equivalent of 50 nuclear power plants will be needed to feed the Internet. Governments, NGOs and scientific institutions have expressed concern that with the introduction of the InternetOfThings (loT), the increased demand for electricity from data centers that manage the loT would be so great that all energy-efficient efforts by families and industry are in vain would be. It has become clear that to combat climate change a new model is needed that is much more energy efficient.
    At the same time, modern buildings are equipped with energy-efficient heat pumps. Heat pumps in general, and geothermal heat pumps in particular, have proven to provide the best overall energy efficiency to heat up a building. A disadvantage of geothermal heat pumps is the high capital investment, especially for drilling the capture network. In order for geothermal heat pumps to retain their high efficiency, the soil from which the heat is extracted during cold seasons must be sufficiently brought back to its original temperature at the end of the warm season. Natural supplementation will often not suffice.
    BE2018 / 5125
    SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
    It is an object of the invention to obviate or reduce at least one of the aforementioned disadvantages. It may be a further object of the invention to improve efficiency and / or reduce costs for heating and / or data processing.
    In one aspect, a heating system is provided for heating a room and / or water. The heating system comprises a first heat source connected to one or more heating fluid circuits, and adapted to heat a heating fluid in at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits. The heating system comprises a second heat source comprising at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, wherein the at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a heat transfer unit adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of performing the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits for preheating heating fluid flowing to the first heat source and / or reheating heating fluid from the first heat source.
    In one aspect, a heating system is provided comprising a processing unit, such as a micro-data center, the size of a pair of servers, combined with, for example, environmentally friendly, primary heat source, for example a heat pump or fuel cell, to provide heat to a building or home. The processing unit comprises at least one processor for performing calculation tasks. The micro-data server can be part of a distributed data center. This hybrid heating system solution is much more energy efficient than placing the servers in a remote data center and heating a home separately. The hybrid system can save up to 80% energy and significantly reduces the capital investment required. A smaller primary heat source may be required than in case it is not combined with the processing unit. In the case of a geothermal heat pump, fewer meters must be drilled from the capture network. There must also be no cooling installation
    BE2018 / 5125 (for example, as part of an HVAC installation) are installed to provide cooling for the servers, saving capital and operational costs.
    The heating system can be arranged for recovering waste energy in the form of heat generated by the processing unit, for example, one or more computer servers and associated auxiliary equipment. The waste energy recovery can be efficient, e.g., a high percentage of the heat generated by the processing unit.
    The heating system can be arranged to deliver the recovered heat to one or more heat supply circuits in an optionally fixed, prioritized manner. It will be clear that this can also be applied in a heating system comprising the second heat source, independently of the first heat source.
    In one aspect, a heating system is provided for heating a liquid in a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits. The heating system comprises at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, wherein the at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a plurality of heat transfer units adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat generated for at least a portion as a result of performing the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to the heating fluid in each of the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits. Optionally, also in this heating system, the plurality of heat transfer units can be arranged to transfer heat to the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits in an, optionally fixed, prioritized manner.
    The heating system can avoid the need for energy-intensive cooling infrastructure for computer servers. This can reduce electricity costs by significantly reducing the need for cooling.
    The heating system can be arranged to use immersion cooling, allowing higher temperature cooling and avoids the use of a plurality of fans, reducing energy consumption.
    The heating system may use a phase transition material (PCM), e.g., paraffin or hydrated salt, to provide rapid
    BE2018 / 5125 temperature changes of the immersion fluid. This is advantageous as an extra protection for the electronics.
    The heating system may have the option of recovering heat losses from one or more DC-AC inverters or DC-DC power inverters. For example a photovoltaic inverter, a battery charger or a heat pump inverter.
    The primary heat source can be a heat pump. The heating system can be arranged to improve the efficiency of the connected heat pump by increasing the input water temperature of said heat pump using the waste heat from the processing unit, and / or by reusing stored energy. Thus, the coefficient of performance (COP) index of the heat pump can be increased and / or a seasonal efficiency (SPF) of the total heating system can be improved.
    The heating system can be arranged to increase the output temperature of the primary heat source using the waste heat from the processing unit, e.g., optimizing the energy required from a heat pump or fuel cell.
    The heating system can be arranged to plan, in part or in full, the consumption of electricity from the processing unit at times when there is a large supply of electricity. A high supply of electricity can be, for example, excessive electricity available on the electricity network, or locally available electricity from a photovoltaic installation or fuel cell. As a result, converting electricity to heat which can be economically supplied to the building, for heating the building, producing hot tap water, heating a swimming pool or storing it for later use and so on.
    The heating may comprise a control unit adapted for, in part or in full, scheduling the consumption of electricity of the at least one processing unit based on the power quality of the electricity network and / or the availability of locally generated green power at a given moment. Optionally, the control unit is arranged for, at least locally, the power quality of the electricity network
    Optimize BE2018 / 5125 by controlling the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit.
    The heating system can be communicatively connected to a central server adapted to control the electricity consumption of the at least one processing unit, e.g., to optimize the power quality of the electricity network.
    The heating system may comprise a control unit adapted to control, in part or in full, the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit based on a demand for energy from the first heat source. The heating system can, for example, plan for or respond to the heat pump / fuel cell by controlling the calculations of the processing unit (s) when the heat pump has a high energy demand or the fuel cell produces electricity. This can contribute to optimizing the COP of the heat pump and / or energy consumption and production. The calculation tasks can be triggered by measuring the electricity consumption of the first heat source, e.g., heat pump, or electricity production in the case of a fuel cell, or by analyzing the parameters of the heat production (timetable, sensor measurements) and responding to it.
    It will be clear that the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit can be controlled, for example, by controlling the calculations of the at least one processing unit.
    It will be clear that the stated control units can be separate control units, or can be integrated into one or more control units.
    In one aspect, a combination of a central server and a plurality of heating systems as described herein is provided. The heating systems can be communicatively connected to a central server. The combination can be provided for controlling the electricity consumption of the processing units, for example, to optimize the power quality of the electricity network. Therefore, for example, a local heating system can provide locally measured data. The central server can, for example, order the heating systems with regard to electrical consumption.
    BE2018 / 5125
    The primary heat source can be a geothermal heat pump.
    The heating system can be arranged for storing energy, such as heat, not immediately used in the ground for later use to heat up domestic drinking water and / or heating a home or building.
    The heating system can be arranged to prevent subcooling of the ground by replenishing the ground temperature during warm seasons.
    The heating system can be arranged to avoid overheating of the ground by recovering the heat stored during cold seasons to heat a building and / or to produce hot tap water.
    This invention can solve important inefficiency problems of modern data centers. Data centers comprising thousands of computer servers generate a lot of heat. Most, or all, of the heat generated by the servers in such data centers is lost to the outside environment without being used for other purposes. Additionally, a significant amount of electricity is used by the cooling installation. All this electricity is expensive and must be fully paid for by the data center customers.
    High density data centers have difficulties cooling their equipment. Experts estimate that conventional data centers spend around 40% of their energy budget on cooling. The most common server rooms are air cooled using large CRACS (computer room air conditioning). Some vendors have implemented water cooled servers allowing a more dense setup. Others have opted for oil-based cooling (immersion cooling). These solutions reduce energy consumption for cooling as water and oil can transport heat more efficiently than air. Once the heat has been transferred to the medium, the heat is usually transported to a cooling installation where the water / oil is cooled by the outside air.
    This invention overcomes or alleviates various problems by significantly reducing the cost of cooling, maximizing it
    BE2018 / 5125 waste heat reuse and even has the option of having customers pay partially for the waste heat from computers.
    In one aspect, a heating system is provided comprising a processing unit as a secondary heating device and a primary heating device formed by a heat pump and / or a fuel cell. The processing unit may have at least one processor, such as one or more servers, for performing calculation tasks. The waste heat from the processing unit can be used to heat tap water, heat the building or to heat a swimming pool, etc. The heating system reduces the load on the primary heater.
    If the primary heat source is a heat pump, the heating system can simultaneously increase the efficiency of the connected heat pump (COP), again resulting in a reduced energy bill for the building owner. For new installations, the heat produced from the processing unit can be taken into account in determining the total energy output of the heating installation. This can result in the use of a smaller primary heat source, e.g., heat pump.
    If the primary heat source is a geothermal heat pump, less geothermal contact surface is required than without the secondary heat source. As a result, this can reduce the total installation cost for the building owner. The heating system can ensure that overall the soil remains at a higher temperature, keeping the heat pump's efficiency high. At the same time, the bottom can be prevented from becoming too hot as the heat pump draws stored energy from the bottom at a later time, avoiding that the bottom would no longer be usable to cool the processing unit. The heat pump increases the low quality of heat from the soil to a temperature level usable for use in building and / or water heating.
    The soil temperature of the earth is approximately constant at certain depths (already from 13 meters below the surface). This effect is used by modern heating systems such as geothermal heat pumps. Geothermal heat pump systems can include a system of pipes in the ground to exchange heat with the ground. This system of tubes can
    BE2018 / 5125 are horizontal, vertical and / or using overlapping loops. The tubes can form a closed loop comprising a transfer fluid which does not freeze easily and which can rapidly exchange heat with the bottom, such as a water / propylene glycol mixture. The transfer fluid is pumped around in the loop (s). Geothermal heat pumps can extract the heat from the transfer fluid in the loop (s) or pipes via a heat exchanger to a cooling gas. The temperature of the gas is raised by a compressor to make it useful for heating a home or building. The now cooled transfer fluid (about 2-7 degrees colder than the temperature at the start of the heat exchange) is injected back into the soil where it will heat up again to the temperature of the soil and the cycle starts again. The efficiency of these systems is determined by the temperature of the soil, the soil characteristics and the efficiency of the heat pump itself.
    The long-term extraction of heat from the soil has an impact on the constant temperature of the soil around the system of pipes (also known as capture network). This leads to a reduction in the water temperature at the heat pump input over time. As a result, the efficiency of the heating system decreases. To compensate for the lowering of the soil temperature during the winter, buildings with geothermal heat pumps can cool the building during the summer season to reheat the soil to compensate for the extraction during the winter. By using the colder ground temperature, the building can be cooled and the soil replenished (cold water flows through the heating radiator systems inside the building, such as hygroscopic floor heating or radiators). During the summer, the heat pump's compressor is often not used while the circulation pump (s) are active. This is also called passive cooling. If enough cooling days occur, the soil temperature around the tubes will be restored to its original value. Unfortunately this is not always the case. A cooler summer can directly increase energy consumption during the following winter if the soil is not sufficiently replenished. The knowledgeable expert knows that the smaller the difference between the source and target temperature of a heat pump, the more efficient it becomes (refer to the Carnot cycle). A
    BE2018 / 5125 higher soil temperature is therefore advantageous for the total efficiency of the geothermal heat pump system.
    In one aspect, the heating system can be provided to directly heat up domestic tap water with the secondary heat source, not using the primary heat source. Higher output temperatures are not efficient for a heat pump, similar for certain types of fuel cell. As a result, the system efficiency can be increased while the use of a heat pump or fuel cell is avoided for this purpose.
    The heating system can also make it possible to increase the share of renewable energy in the electricity network by having the processing unit plan its activities based on the electricity quality of the electricity network and / or on the availability of locally generated green electricity at a given moment. It is possible to further improve the heating system using electrochemical batteries to store electricity when it is not optimal to have the processing units count, adding one additional control axis to the system. By placing inverters or battery chargers in the immersion fluid, waste heat from these devices can be recovered as usable heat.
    Hydrogen fuel cells are becoming available to consumers. The hydrogen is usually produced from natural gas or biogas by means of a gas converter. When used to heat up a building, the thermal power output is often very small, for example IkW / t, but the electrical output can be as high as three quarters of the thermal output. The current heating system allows a fuel cell to be combined with one or more processing units that behave as a secondary heat source.
    In one aspect, a method is provided for heating a room and / or water. The method comprises heating a heating fluid in at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits through a first heating source connected to the one or more heating fluid circuits. The method comprises cooling at least one processing unit with at least one
    BE2018 / 5125 processor for performing calculation tasks, using a heat transfer unit thermally connected to the at least one processing unit, by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of performing calculation tasks, of the at least one processing unit on the at least one of one or more heating fluid circuits to preheat heating fluid flowing to the first heat source and / or post-heating heating fluid coming from the first heat source.
    In one aspect, a method is provided for heating a liquid in a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits. The method comprises cooling at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, using a heat transfer unit thermally connected to the at least one processing unit, by transferring heat generated at least in part as a result of the performing calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to the heating fluid in each of the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits.
    The method may include transferring heat to the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits in an optionally fixed, prioritized manner.
    It will also be clear that any one or more of the above aspects, characteristics and possibilities can be combined. It will be appreciated that any one of the options described for one of the aspects can be applied equally to each of the other aspects. It will also be clear that all aspects, characteristics and possibilities mentioned with regard to the systems also apply equally to the methods and vice versa.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
    The invention will be further clarified on the basis of exemplary embodiment represented in a drawing. The exemplary embodiments are presented in a non-dimensional illustration. Note that the figures are only a schematic representation of the embodiments of the invention which are included as a non-illustrative example.
    BE2018 / 5125
    In the drawing:
    FIG. 1 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 2 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 3 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 4 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 5 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 6 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 7 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 8 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 9 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 10 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 11 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 12 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 13 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 14 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 15 shows an example of a heating system;
    FIG. 16 shows an example of a capture network;
    FIG. 17 shows an example of power production from a locally connected PV plant; and
    FIG. 18 shows an example of network voltage deviation during the day.
    DETAIL DESCRIPTION
    Figure 1 shows a schematic representation of a heating system 1. The heating system comprises a primary heat source 2 and a secondary heat source 4. The secondary heat source 4 here is a processing unit 6. The heating system 1 can be arranged so that the secondary heat source 4 preheats and / or after heats a heat transfer medium from the primary heat source 2. The primary heat source 4 can be, for example, a heat pump, such as a geothermal heat pump, a fuel cell, or the like.
    BE2018 / 5125
    In one aspect a large data center can be divided into a plurality of smaller data centers, also referred to herein as micro-data centers. The processing unit 6 in this example comprises such a micro-data center. Each microdata center can include one or more servers, for example, going from one server to a few dozen servers. These servers can be installed in an enclosure at the homes of individuals or at small companies or organizations.
    The housing 8 can be designed to allow easy installation in private homes, to resist burglary in the servers, and to protect the servers from any harsh conditions.
    Depending on, for example, the average annual heat demand of the building, the internet connectivity facilities, the free space in the building and other factors, it may be necessary to install more than one housing in the building. For example, the housings 8 can be looped through to have a higher thermal performance.
    Looping through can be achieved with easy fast connections as usual in the industry. The connections prevent leakage and allow quick installation and / or maintenance. A cable duct 12 can be provided to connect multiple housings together for network and control signals. Control signals could be used for temperature reading, fluid level reading, checking pumps, connecting to and communicating with the heat pump and / or fuel cell, and / or to allow remote control of these and / or other devices.
    The housing 8 and processing unit 6 can be cooled by one or more heat transfer circuits 14 which can supply the collected heat to different places in the building. It is possible to install one or more of the enclosures on a single site.
    Air is a good thermal insulator, not a thermal conductor. Cooling equipment with air is not efficient. It is best not to use air to cool high-density electronics, and designers usually use special coolants or gases.
    The heating system in this example uses immersion cooling to improve heat transfer to the coolant. The processing unit, or part thereof, (computer server, associated equipment) is
    BE2018 / 5125 immersed in a dielectric fluid such as mineral oil, an isoparaffin, transformer oil or more advanced fluids such as 3M ™ Fluorinert ™ FC72, 3M ™ Novec ™ 7000, 3M ™ Novec ™ 7100, 3M ™ Novec ™ 649, any equivalent fluid or any mixture thereof. By using immersion, the sensitive electronics of the processing unit 6 are more protected from harsh environments and will be less susceptible to corrosion. Another advantage of using immersion cooling is that air fans can be omitted. The expert is aware that in modern computers about 10% -15% of the annual energy consumption is used by the air fans.
    The housing 8 for both models (oil and two-phase immersion cooling) comprises an inner tank 16 comprising a cooling fluid 15 which is thermally and electrically insulated from an outer shield 18. The outer shield 18 may be, for example, a tank made of plastic , but any suitable material can be used. The insulation 17 is usually polyurethane but can be from any thermal insulator. The inner tank 16 can be made of a metal or plastic. A metal tank has the advantage of being able to shield the processing unit 6 from electrostatic interference. The outer shield 18 also has the function of preventing cooling fluid from entering the environment in case the inner tank 16 should have a leak.
    FIG. 2 shows an example of the housing 8. Here, the housing comprises a processing unit 6, comprising electronic equipment such as: computer servers, associated computer equipment, DC-AC inverters and / or DC-DC converters, or the like. The housing 8 in this example is thermally insulated to avoid heat loss. The housing 8 has inside a tank 16 filled with a dielectric cooling liquid 15, thus forming a cooling liquid! In this specific example, this is a two-phase coolant, such as, for example, 3M Fluorinert ™ FC-72, 3M Novec ™ 7000, 3M Novec ™ 7100, 3M Novec ™, any alternative two-phase liquid and / or any mixture thereof. The two-phase coolant has the property to boil quickly, thereby removing the heat from the electronic equipment. The two-phase coolant 15, when converted to vapor, is heavier than air and will be above the liquid level
    BE2018 / 5125 remain inside the housing 8. When the vapor is cooled by a heat exchanger 20, it will return to its liquid form and drip down into the bath, allowing the process to be restarted. This example has four heat exchangers 20, but the number of heat exchangers 20 can vary from at least one, but preferably two or more. Because of the tendency of the vapor to remain above the liquid level, it will start filling up to gas level 19 (A) during accumulation and reach the first heat exchanger 20 (A) first. When not all of the energy has been absorbed by this heat exchanger, the vapor level will further increase filling up to gas level 19 (B) and reach the next heat exchanger 20 (B). This process will continue until enough heat energy has been absorbed by all heat exchangers to allow the vapor to condense sufficiently and completely drip down into the bath. The heat exchangers 20, often made of copper, can be treated with a layer of graphene (e.g., by graphene vapor deposition) to improve the condensation on the exchanger 20. To direct the vapor more towards the heat exchangers, a removable plastic or metal structure can be placed above the liquid level, reducing the size of the vapor chamber; this is advantageous as less two-phase liquid must evaporate to fill the chamber before reaching the heat exchangers, reducing fluid costs. The space above the vapor is filled with normal air 21.
    In this example, by having multiple heat exchangers 20, the heating system 1 allows the heat produced by the processing unit 6 to be first delivered to the heat exchanger 20 (A), closest to the liquid level. This heat exchanger 20 (A) has the highest priority. The priority of each heat exchanger 20 decreases with the increasing distance to the liquid level. Each heat exchanger 20 can be connected to a different heat transfer circuit 14 and release circuit 22, for example for heating tap water, for heating a building, a swimming pool or the like. The lowest priority heat exchanger 20 can be connected to a delivery circuit 22 which can always be activated to cool the vapor in case not all energy was absorbed by the other heat exchangers. This is advantageous since the computer equipment 6 does not have to be turned off or their operation is reduced when there is less need for heat. This issue
    BE2018 / 5125 circuit 22 can be, for example, a geothermal dissipation circuit, part of a geothermal heat pump system, or connected to an outside cooling unit. A set of one or more sensors 24 measure the level of the vapor inside the housing 8. This can be done by measuring the temperature at different levels, but other ways are possible. A control unit 26 can activate different heat transfer circuits 14 accordingly. A liquid level sensor 28 measures the level of the liquid in the bath.
    The connections for the processing unit 6 (power, network, etc.) are introduced into the housing 8 through a cable duct 12. The housing 8 in this example has a lid 30 at the top to access the processing unit 6 and the liquid. The lid 30 can be sealed, for example, hermetically, to the rest of the housing 8. A pressure valve 32 is used here to prevent build-up of overpressure within the housing 8 in the event of a defect. Activated carbon 29 can be immersed in the two-phase liquid to absorb organic contaminants. A desiccant can be installed within the housing 8 to absorb free water vapor.
    FIG. 3 shows a second example of the housing 8. This housing 8 is useful in warmer climates, or with more varying cooling temperatures, in which case vapor can escape more easily from the housing 8, e.g. via the cable duct 12 and / or the pressure valve 32. A bypass circuit 34 is made over the heat exchanger 20 with the lowest priority (e.g., the geothermal cooling circuit), in this example 20D. This is the heat exchanger 20 with the lowest priority, which is capable of always cooling the vapor. This bypass will cool one heat exchanger 20E installed at the cable duct 12, and another heat exchanger 20F cool at the pressure valve 32. Both heat exchangers 20E, 20F ensure that the vapor from the two-phase immersion fluid will always condense and thus reduce vapor leakage. A pressure control cylinder 36 can be installed between the pressure valve 32 and the outer shield 18 to absorb pressure changes within the housing 8, again reducing the possibility of vapor escaping into the environment via the pressure valve 32.
    FIG. 4 shows an example using another cooling liquid 15. In FIG. 4, a one-phase cooling liquid 15 is used, for example an oil. A mineral oil or transformer oil can be used. Alternatively, a
    BE2018 / 5125 isoparaffin. The processing unit 6 is submerged within the tank 16. The oil 15 remains in the housing 8 at all times, avoiding potential pollution of the environment. Since oil does not boil away, to promote heat transfer, the oil 15 is preferably pumped around in the tank 16, for example, by a rotary pump 35 or other pump. The oil is best pumped away from the heat-producing electronics for effective cooling. Two compartments are provided, divided by a dividing wall 39. A pump 35 in the tank 16, for example, at the bottom of the bath, pumps cold oil 15 from a first compartment, comprising the heat exchangers 20,20G, 20H, into a different, second compartment comprising the electronic equipment 6. The oil in the second compartment will absorb the heat from the equipment. By pumping the second compartment will overflow and the oil 15 will overflow to the first compartment where it can be cooled by the heat exchangers 20. The pump 35 can be connected to a distributor 37, which distributes the oil 15 proportionally in the second compartment avoiding stationary areas. It will be appreciated that the direction of the pump 35 could be reversed if necessary, permanently or temporarily; thus the priority of the heat exchangers 20 will also be reversed.
    The heat exchangers 20H, 20G can be filled with the heat transfer fluid from the heat delivery circuits 22 or can be partially filled, in a closed loop, using an alternative heat transfer fluid. This alternative fluid can be water, an oil or a two-phase fluid. In one example, heat pipes are used to improve heat transfer from the oil 15 to the heat exchangers 20. The heat pipes can be partially thermally insulated from the oil 15 at their adiabatic portion to maintain effective heat transfer prioritization.
    In another example, a phase material (PCM), e.g., paraffin or hydrated salt, was placed within the housing 8, e.g., between the insulation 17 and the tank 16, to dampen the rapid temperature fluctuation of the oil 15. This is advantageous as an extra protection for the electronics. If sufficient phase material is used, the buffer tank 48 can be made smaller or can be omitted from the system. A phase material can contain large quantities
    BE2018 / 5125 absorb or release energy when it changes from, for example, solid to liquid or vice versa. The phase material can be encased in a plastic or other enclosure, or alternatively, the tank 16 can be double-walled, where the PCM is located between the outer and inner walls of the tank 16. In such case, the tank 16 can be made of a heat-conducting material, such as rust-resistant steel or copper.
    Air fans installed in the processing unit or on specific components thereof by the manufacturer, such as for example on a GPU, can be removed from the component or retained, depending on the type of electronics. Air fans within an oil can function like a local pump and make the oil move around, improving heat transfer.
    To keep the oil clean, a small particle filter 41 may be installed and connected to the pump, e.g., filtering particles larger than one micrometer. In one embodiment, a second filter is used to filter unwanted chemicals from the oil through activated carbon 29.
    The oil in the tank is heated by the processing unit / processing units 6 and cooled by means of one or more heat exchangers 20. In one example, the heat transfer fluid from the delivery circuits 22 runs through the metal tubes immersed in the oil (e.g., copper heat exchangers). The heat transfer fluid from the delivery circuits 22 (e.g., water) can pass through the tubes and absorb the heat from the oil 15. The tubes can be improved with fins 45 to increase the contact surface and improve the heat transfer capacity.
    It is possible to directly connect one or more heat exchangers 38 to electronic components that have a high heat flux, such as for example a CPU or GPU. This can be done by using a heat exchanger 38 directly connected to the CPU / GPU. This heat exchanger 38 may, for example, be a heat exchanger for water cooling of the CPU / GPU (for example, a water block usually made of copper or aluminum). By not using water for the heat exchanger 38, but allowing the dielectric oil 15 to flow through, this can prevent overheating of these components by stagnant oil around the components. The direct
    BE2018 / 5125 heat exchanger 38 itself is also immersed in the oil bath and is connected to the electronics 6 (CPU / GPU). Non-oil-soluble heat paste can be used between the CPU / GPU and the heat exchanger 38. In another example, the heat paste is replaced by a sheet of PGS graphite (Pyrolytic highly oriented Graphite Sheet) as a heat transfer medium between the semiconductor (CPU / GPU) GPU) and the heat exchanger 38. The direct heat exchanger 38 can be connected with tubes to the distributor (s), allowing to supply cold oil 15 to the heat exchanger 38. The oil coming from the output of this direct heat exchanger 38 can be mixed with the remaining oil in the bath.
    The heat exchanger 20 with the highest priority 20G can be located higher (closer to the liquid level) than the other heat exchangers 20. The heat exchanger 20 with the lowest priority can be placed furthest down from the liquid level. The heat exchanger 20H with the lowest priority must be connected to a heat delivery circuit 22 which is always able to cool the servers 6 in case the temperature of the oil 15 becomes too hot. It can be connected to a capture network 60 of a geothermal heat pump, or it can be connected to an outside cooling unit 66. The control unit 26 monitoring the temperature inside the housing can activate this circuit accordingly.
    The housing 8 which includes the oil 15 and processing unit 6 has a lid 30 on top that can be closed to protect the processing unit 6. The tank 16 is equipped with sensors 24, 28 to read the oil temperature, the oil level and the water condensation. Additional sensors and locks can be installed to detect / prevent burglary in the housing 8.
    Fig. 5 shows an example in which the heat exchangers 20 have a different shape. Here, the primary heat exchangers 20 are, e.g., metal, tubes directly carrying the heat transfer fluid from the heat transfer circuit 14. The tubes 20I, 20J, 20K may be improved with, e.g., metals, fins 45 to increase the heat transfer area. The oil 15 can be forced more towards the heat exchangers by means of flow narrowings 43. These can be curved surfaces to direct the oil flow around the heat exchangers 20. The distance between the heat exchangers 20 can be arranged
    BE2018 / 5125 for optimum heat transfer. An advantage of this example using flow-through constrictions 43 is that oil 15 is more stirred around the heat exchanger 20, conducive to heat transfer and making the prioritized delivery of energy more efficient.
    FIG. 6 shows an example in which the tubes of the heat exchangers are arranged at the rear of the tank 16. The tank, made here of a heat-conducting material, e.g. a metal, will serve as a heat conductor. Inside the tank 16, fins 45 may be installed to assist in the transfer of heat from the oil 16 to the heat exchangers 20 (20L, 20M, 20N). An advantage of this example is that in the event of leakage from one of the heat exchangers 20, the oil cannot be contaminated. In case a non-conductive tank is used, heat pipes can be used, for example penetrating through the wall of the tank 16, to transfer the heat from the oil 15 to the tubes 20.
    FIG. 7 shows an example in which the tubes of the heat exchangers are each placed in a gutter above the liquid level. The direction of the pump 35 is different in that it sucks the oil from the tank 16 to the manifolds 33 above the heat exchangers 20. The oil coming through the manifolds 33 drops on top of the tubes 20 and fills the gutters where the oil is in to transfer its heat to the heat exchangers 20. When the gutters are filled, they can overflow and the excess oil drips back into the tank 16. Optionally, each manifold 33 can be independently controlled by the control unit 26 using a valve, dynamically the priority changing the heat transfer circuits 14. It will be clear that more models are possible, for example where the heat exchangers are inserted in an enclosure filled with the oil permitting prioritization of the heat transfer circuits 14.
    FIG. 8 shows an example in which the housing 8 further houses a heat pump 40. Heat loss to the environment through the connections can be reduced advantageously, improving cost effectiveness. This also has the advantage that in case the heat pump 40 is driven by an inverter 42, the heat pump inverter 42 can also be submerged in the tank 16 and the heat loss from the inverter 42 can be recovered for heating purposes.
    BE2018 / 5125
    Fig. 9 shows an example in which the processing unit 6 is installed in the same unit as a heat pump 40, combined with a battery pack 44 and a heat storage area 46. This has the advantage that any DCAC converter of the battery pack 44 can be immersed in the two-phase liquid or oil in the tank 16, recovering waste heat for, for example, heating purposes. It is clear that the inverter 42 of the heat pump 40 and / or any other inverter, for example, of a photovoltaic installation, can be submerged to capture its waste heat. Advantageously, the combined battery pack 44 can be cooled by the heat transfer fluid of a capture network 60, by the outdoor unit 66 or by the heat pump 40, further increasing the efficiency of the system. Optionally, the battery pack 40 can be cooled by heat pipes connected to the pack 44 and the server tank 16. The heat storage area 46, e.g., a heat storage tank, can be used to store hot tap water, or can be used as a buffer tank for the heat pump 40. The heat storage tank may comprise water and / or a phase transition material, e.g., a paraffin.
    FIG. 10 shows a schematic overview of an arrangement using two-phase immersion cooled servers 6 as a secondary heat source 4 combined with a geothermal heat pump 40 as a primary heat source 2, a swimming pool 52 and a hot water tank 51. The processing units 6, here servers and the associated electronics such as, for example, network switches, UPS, routers and more, are cooled by using the cold heat transfer fluid (transfer fluid) coming from different delivery circuits 22. The servers 6 can be cooled by direct heat delivery to the condenser 53 side of the heat pump 40 (priority A). Advantageously, the servers can be used to pre-heat the returning water from a buffer tank 48, e.g., including water as a heat storage medium, before it is delivered to the heat pump 40. Because of the preheating by the servers 6, the heat pump 40 need only adding the extra heat to charge the buffer tank 48 to the desired temperature. A three-way valve 50 can be used to close circuit A while the heat pump 40, for example, produces hot tap water to prevent heat from being delivered to the servers 6 instead of extracting from them. If circuit A is not active, e.g.
    BE2018 / 5125 no energy needs to be delivered to the storage tank 48 or all the energy in the vapor has been absorbed by the fluid flowing in circuit A, the remaining energy becomes available to the lower priority circuit (circuit B in this example ). As explained above, this is because of the vapor that did not sufficiently condense on the heat exchanger 20 of circuit A. The gas will accumulate and rise to the heat exchangers 20 located higher in the server bath. As an example circuit B is connected to a swimming pool 52. It is clear that when circuit B is activated a large amount of energy can be delivered to the swimming pool 52 and all the vapor that reaches the heat exchanger of circuit B will condense. In this example, circuit C is connected to the evaporator side 49 of the heat pump 40. In the heat exchanger of the evaporator 49 of the heat pump 40, heat is transferred to a liquid gas located within a closed loop system 56 within the heat pump 40. Due to an increase in temperature, the fluid transforms into a gas, cooling the water passing through the heat exchanger. This cooling gas is further used by the compressor 58 to further raise the temperature for comfort use. The connection of the server baths 6 to the evaporator 49 side of the heat pump, via circuit C in this example, will be especially useful when the heat pump 40 prepares hot tap water. This is advantageous in that the servers 6 will help to increase the COP of the heat pump 40 at that specific time. In case, in this example, neither circuit A, B nor C are active or not all of the energy can be absorbed by these circuits A, B and C, circuit D can be used to absorb the remaining energy from the vapor and the vapor to condense back in liquid. In this example, circuit D is connected to a geothermal capture network 60. A variable speed pump 62 pumps cold heat transfer fluid from the bottom to cool the equipment 6. The heat transfer fluid from the capture network 60 will always be cold enough to cool the vapor. The speed of the pump 62 can be controlled by the control unit 26 to allow the vapor to condense sufficiently. The liquid in circuit D can have a temperature of approximately 9-12 degrees Celsius. The heat collected by circuit D can be transferred to the bottom for later use, resulting in the energy being stored for later reuse and not being lost. Since the soil temperature level can be
    BE2018 / 5125 restored, improving the COP of heat pump 40, even if the servers were not running at that specific time, the heat pump 40 extracts heat from the bottom. Optionally, the inverter of a local PV system can be immersed in the two-stage immersion cooling fluid bath to reuse its waste heat.
    FIG. 11 shows an example in which the processing unit 6 is arranged for directly producing hot tap water. This can be advantageous since heat pumps are known to have a lower efficiency when the outlet temperature must be high, such as for example for making hot tap water. When combined with a two-phase liquid boiling, for example, at or around 56 degrees Celsius, the vapor produced can be about 9-10 degrees warmer than the boiling point, which is sufficiently hot for hygienic purposes. The hot water circuit 63 can have the highest priority (level A). In this case, circuit B is used as an additional heating for the home. Circuits C and D are similar to those in FIG. 10.
    FIG. 12 shows an example in which the heat pump 40 is an air / water type. Circuit A is used for hot tap water production (highest priority). Circuit B has been used to heat the building. The water coming from the delivery circuit 64 (underfloor heating / radiators) is preheated by the processing unit 6 before being supplied to the heat pump on the condenser side. The heat pump 40 only needs to add the remaining energy required. It will be appreciated that it is also possible to place the delivery location of circuit B after the condenser 53 of the heat pump 40, in which the heat pump behaves as a first heating device, and the server heating as the second heating device. This may entail a change in the placement of the temperature sensor in front of the heat pump 40 in order for the heat pump to behave optimally (also applicable to the examples of figure 10 and figure 11). Circuit C is connected to a swimming pool 52.
    Circuits D and E are connected to an outdoor unit 66. The air heat pump can be a split unit in which a part of the heat pump, e.g., the evaporator, is placed outside. The outside unit 66 can be improved with an additional heat exchanger 65 which can release heat to the outside air.
    BE2018 / 5125
    A first heat exchanger (evaporator 49) may be installed in the outdoor unit 66 which is connected to the heat pump 40. A fan 67 may also be installed in the outdoor unit which forces air through both heat exchangers (evaporator 49 and the cooler of circuit D 65). During cold periods, the blow direction of the fan 67 is controlled so that the heat supplied from circuit D can be partially recovered by circuit E. Advantageously, this frost can be avoided on the evaporator during the cold season, improving the efficiency of the heat pump 40 through the avoid the well-known defrosting stage of air-to-water heat pumps. During warm periods, the blow direction of the fan can be reversed. When the heat pump 40 provides active cooling for the building, heat produced by the processing unit 6 can be extracted and cooled via circuit B.
    FIG. 13 shows an example in which the primary heat appliance 2 is a fuel cell 68. The fuel cell 68 can be arranged to generate heat from hydrogen. In addition, a fuel cell 68 can also be arranged to generate electricity. A gas converter 70 can be provided to convert natural gas or biogas into carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The carbon dioxide can be released to the outside air while the hydrogen can be delivered to the fuel cell 68. Because of the high efficiency of a fuel cell, it is more suitable for producing electricity than heat. In commercial environments, the heat produced by a single unit is often no more than IkW. In this example, the secondary heat source 4, here the processing unit 6, is capable of assisting the fuel cell 68 in heating the building when peak load occurs. The overall efficiency of such a system is very high, since all the heat produced by the fuel cell 68 and the servers 6 can be used for comfort heating, while the electricity used by the server 6 is locally generated. The processing unit 6 can also produce hot tap water as explained earlier. If applicable, the inverter of the fuel cell 68 can also be immersed in the coolant of the server bath to recover its waste heat. In this example, circuit C is connected to a swimming pool 52, but this need not be the case. Circuit D is connected to an outside cooling unit 66 which
    BE2018 / 5125 will ensure that the vapor from the two-phase cooling can always be cooled sufficiently to condense in the event that no other delivery circuits 22 are active. The outer unit 66 comprises a heat exchanger 65 and a fan 67. The variable speed pump 62 and / or fan 67 can be controlled on the basis of the temperature and vapor level in the server housings 8.
    FIG. 14 shows an example of a single-phase model, using an oil as an immersion fluid. Circuit A is able to heat the home directly (circuit A). When more heat is required, the heat pump 40 is able to provide this. To heat tap water that requires high temperatures, the oil model is less efficient; consequently the heating of the tap water is done by the heat pump. Circuit B, with a lower priority than circuit A, is connected in parallel across the heat pump 40 to the capture network 60, allowing the oil to be cooled when there is no heat demand from the building. The energy stored in the soil will raise the temperature of the soil, being advantageous for later reuse by the heat pump 40. Passive cooling of the building remains possible. A mixer or three-way valve 50 ensures that during colder days the heat in the building is not transferred to the processing units 6. In such a case, the processing units can be cooled with circuit B.
    FIG. 15 shows an alternative model using an oil usable with smaller heat pumps with variable speed compressors. By using two check valves 72, 74, the heat not used by circuit A can be fully or partially delivered to the heat pump 40, improving its efficiency while producing hot tap water. When the circulation pump or heat pump 40 is off, the energy flows into the soil using the variable speed pump 62 and the capture network 60. The variable speed pump 62 is controlled based on the temperature of the oil; the pump can be completely switched off when the temperature of the oil is below a safe limit, eg 50 degrees Celsius. An optional valve 69 directs the flow through circuit B when more or less cold heat transfer fluid from the capture network 60 will be used to cool the oil. This is advantageous to reduce sudden temperature shocks for the server hardware.
    BE2018 / 5125
    It will be clear that the earth's soil can function as a buffer, absorbing and releasing heat on request. The soil will buffer heat for short periods of time (minutes, hours) but also for longer periods of time, even up to a season. The buffer capacity of the soil mainly depends on the type of soil (clay, sand) and its humidity. Long-term storage in a moist soil is more challenging than in a dry soil, but the cooling capacity will be higher during the summer. Heat not consumed immediately (for example, due to the production of hot tap water or heating up of the building) is not completely lost, in contrast to the most common situations at data centers. Heat that is not extracted by the heat pump can be stored underground, and will be available for later extraction, by the same system. By charging the soil with heat during periods when there is no heat demand for the building, the soil temperature will slowly increase, making the subsequent extraction by the heat pump more efficient. Depending on the type of soil, heat can be stored up to even half a year.
    It will be appreciated that the closed loop capture network may have different topologies, such as a vertical capture network, a horizontal capture network, or a loop shaped. Other forms exist and can be used but are less common. The vertical capture network can include one or more sources. Because the water coming from the wells is preheated, it is possible in certain cases that fewer wells need to be drilled to achieve the same thermal yield as in a system without the described processor heat recovery system. This makes the presented heating system extra economically interesting. Vertical capture networks are more interesting to store heat for longer periods than other capture networks, but are more expensive to drill. Horizontal capture networks are cheaper but have a less long-term storage capacity.
    FIG. 16 shows an illustrative layout of a capture network 60 in top view. If the soil is water-bearing, the energy in the soil tends to move with the water in a specific direction. The distance that the heat travels depends on the soil characteristics and the flow rate of it
    BE2018 / 5125 groundwater. In the example, the flow averages around 5 meters per year. If a vertical capture network 60 is used, the sources 76, 78 can be aligned in a V shape with the V opening in the direction of the water flow. The narrow part of the V shape is called the input layer, while the larger area of the V shape is called the output layer. The input layer of the capture network 60 can be a single source 76. The output layer of the capture network often consists of two or more sources 78. The sources 78 may be equally distributed in line or on an arc. More layers, and as a result more sources, can be used if the building has a high energy demand (for example, five sources 78 on the output layer, three sources in an inner layer and one source 76 as an input layer).
    To improve the control of the temperature in the housings 8, a micro-control unit 26 installed outside or inside one of the housings 8 has the ability to measure the temperature in the housing (s), the temperature of the cooling fluids and the vapor levels. The micro-control unit 26 has the ability to control the variable speed pump and / or the condition of the outside cooling unit, or the mixers. The micro-control unit may have the ability to communicate with the heat pump / fuel cell. This will enable the microcontroller to read the condition of the primary heat source and its connected peripherals; as well as controlling the operation of the primary heat appliance via its communication channel. In yet another embodiment, the micro-control unit is software based and implemented in one or more of the processing units 6. It is envisaged that it is possible that multiple micro-control units can be used (e.g. one per housing 8) which communicate together to to control heating system 1.
    In an example, a photovoltaic (PV) inverter 80 can be placed in the housing 8 and immersed in the liquid with the purpose of recovering the heat from the inverter 80.
    Studies have shown that DC / AC inverters have an efficiency between 80-97%. This efficiency does not only vary with the technology used (using a transformer or not), but also during the day and season depending on the load curve. The PV inverter is average
    BE2018 / 5125 lose about 6% in consideration of an entire year of operation. For a 5KWe installation, this loss in the form of heat already adds up to a total of approximately 300kWh / t. By absorbing the lost heat during the year and reusing it for immediate heating of the building, or storing it in the ground for later use, the total energy cost is reduced again. By combining the PV inverter in the housing 8, no additional cooling equipment is required for the inverter. Inverter reduction can be avoided through efficient cooling.
    According to an aspect of locally generated green steam being converted into heat in an economical way, the micro-control unit / control units 26 which control the temperature can be directly connected to an existing PV inverter (outside the housing), this in order to reduce the power consumption of the processing units 6 to arrange. The processing units can also be directly or indirectly connected to a PV installation in order to record and monitor the system and use this information to control the power consumption of the computer servers.
    In one example, a battery converter can be included in the system. This can be a separate component or can be incorporated in the housing 8. The micro-control unit / units 26 of the system can drive the battery to start charging or discharging depending on the need for power through the processing unit / units 6, the heating system or the building. When the battery control unit is installed in the enclosure, the heat produced by the control unit during conversion from AC to DC or from DC back to AC can be captured and immediately used or stored for later use, similar to the solar inverter.
    In order to allow good services and to be able to sell heat to the building, each housing 8 can be provided with an electricity meter. The electricity meter is provided for measuring the energy used by the processing unit (s). Clear billing can thus be achieved while at the same time system performance can be monitored.
    Alternatively, or additionally, the processing unit (s) 6 can plan and control their calculation tasks (processes) to control their load
    BE2018 / 5125 control (and as a result consume more or less electricity) based on different parameters. Possible scenarios are:
    • Planning to or responding to the heat pump / fuel cell by sending the calculations of the processing unit / units when the heat pump has a large energy demand or the fuel cell produces electricity; this to optimize the COP of the heat pump and / or the energy consumption and production. The calculation tasks can be activated on the basis of measuring the heat pump's electricity consumption or electricity production in the case of a fuel cell, or by analyzing and responding to heat production parameters (time schedules, sensor information).
    • Planning for or responding to the surplus of renewable energy on the electricity grid, from sun or wind or when the grid quality requires an intervention (via market price; voltage and / or grid frequency) to absorb the electricity and convert it into heat for storage; this to optimize the local power quality. The calculation tasks can be activated by, for example, market price, a signal from the local network operator (DSO) or based on quality parameters of the local electricity network.
    • Responding with a high server load when there is a high demand for computing power by users; optimizing for usability and fast response time. The calculation tasks can respond to real-time requests from users or plan these for later execution (batch processing).
    To relate the electricity consumption of the heating system to the total consumption pattern of the building, a meter can be installed on the domain at the level of the building, for example, just behind the differential switch in the fuse box. In addition to measuring the electricity consumption of the building, this meter is also equipped with one or more voltage, current, frequency, active and reactive power, both for single-phase and three-phase installations. Through this, the electricity consumption pattern and the grid quality of the entire building can be monitored.
    BE2018 / 5125
    This information can be used to control the processing units at the right time in relation to other appliances (heat pump, household appliances, etc.) and thus optimize the electrical load on the distribution network. This also makes it possible to detect anomalies on the electricity network or to have the servers respond to power quality incidents.
    Care should be taken that no more power is extracted from the network than the installed fuse box can deliver. This can be achieved by actively measuring the total electricity consumption of the building and reducing the power consumption of the servers when the total consumption becomes too high. Alternatively, a smart meter can be used if such a meter is already present in the building.
    A scenario of control is to allow the processing unit (s) to optimize the local electricity network quality. This can be beneficial if there are many photovoltaic installations (PV) installed in the area. When the line voltage increases during the course of a sunny day, this is often the result of locally installed PV. When many PV installations are installed in the vicinity, the network quality will deteriorate considerably. That is why it is best to use up generated renewable energy immediately. The processing unit (s) are able to monitor the local network quality of the electricity network and will react by consuming excess electricity and converting this electricity into economically meaningful calculations and heat that can be used as a by-product.
    In FIG. 17 shows a schematic production of a medium-sized photovoltaic installation. By measuring the electricity production of the locally installed PV inverter, the processing unit (s) can increase or decrease their electricity consumption. In another example, the processing unit (s) will consume as much energy as locally produced so that the total output of electricity to the distribution network is minimal. This is advantageous if the network manager charges for the installation of electricity on the network.
    Figure 18 shows a schematic representation of the voltage increase during the day on the line caused by the PV inverters installed locally and in the environment.
    BE2018 / 5125
    The processing unit (s) can be connected to a three-phase electricity network. The processing unit (s) may be provided to consume more or less on each phase different for the purpose of bringing the electricity consumption on each phase of the three-phase closer together. This reduces the current across the neutral conductor and increases the overall power efficiency considerably.
    The processing unit (s) can be provided to download the predicted production of renewable energy at country level or province and to plan their consumption on it. The processing unit (s) may be provided to occasionally contact the national / provincial servers of the network operators, for example, every 15 minutes, and to respond to the current electricity production from sun and wind, by increasing their computational activities when more renewable energy is produced, or reducing stated calculations when not enough renewable energy is available.
    The response of the processing unit (s) to changes in the quality of the electricity network and / or the availability of renewable energy may be controlled from a central server, e.g., placed in a control room. Communication with the control room can be done via internet, wireless, 3/4 / 5G or in other ways. This makes sense if a plurality of micro data centers will act together to form a large virtual power plant system. By logically linking multiple micro data centers, they will be able to increase or decrease their energy consumption based on, for example, the demand of a network operator or based on market prices.
    The invention is described herein with reference to specific examples of embodiments of the invention. It will be understood, however, that various changes and changes may be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention. For the sake of clarity and a brief description, functions are described herein as part of the same or separate embodiments, however, alternative embodiments that include combinations of all or part of the ones described in these separate embodiments are also contemplated.
    BE2018 / 5125
    However, other modifications, variations and alternatives are also possible. The specifications, drawings and examples are, therefore, to be considered in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
    For the sake of clarity and a brief description, functions are described herein as part of the same or separate embodiments, however, it will be understood that the scope of the invention may include combinations of all or part of the functions described.
    In the claims, all reference characters placed in parentheses will not be construed as limiting the conclusion. Including the word does not exclude the presence of elements or steps other than those mentioned in a claim. Furthermore, the words "one" and "one" should not be construed as being limited to "only one," but instead be used to mean "at least one," and not exclude a multiple. The mere fact that certain measures are enumerated in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to an advantage.
    权利要求:
    Claims (10)
    [1]
    A heating system for heating a liquid in a plurality of individual fluid flow circuits, comprising:
    at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, the at least one processing unit being thermally connected to a plurality of heat transfer units adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat, which is at least partially generated as a result of performing the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to heating fluid in each of the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits.
    [2]
    The heating system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of heat transfer units is adapted to transfer heat to the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits in a possibly fixed, prioritized manner.
    [3]
    3. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the processing unit comprises one or more servers, for example connectable to a communication network.
    [4]
    4. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, wherein the one or more servers form part of a distributed data center.
    [5]
    5 heating fluid flowing from the first heat source.
    The method of claim 35, wherein the first heat source is a heat pump, such as a geothermal heat pump and / or a fuel cell.
    5. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, comprising an enclosure that encloses the at least one processing unit.
    BE2018 / 5125
    [6]
    6. Heating system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the casing comprises an immersion tank for immersing the at least one processing unit in a cooling liquid, such as an oil or two-phase liquid.
    [7]
    The heating system of claim 5, wherein the enclosure comprises a phase change material.
    [8]
    A heating system according to any one of the preceding claims, further comprising one or more DC-AC converters or DC-DC current converters that are thermally connected to the one or more heat transfer units.
    [9]
    9. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, further provided with a heat reservoir for storing heat and / or a battery for storing electrical energy.
    10. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, comprising a control unit which is arranged for partially or fully planning the consumption of electricity of the at least one processing unit at times when there is a large power supply.
    11. Heating system as claimed in claims 9 and 10, arranged for storing heat and / or electrical energy at times when there is a high power supply.
    The heating system according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising a control unit which is arranged for partially or fully planning the consumption of electricity of the at least one processing unit based on the electricity quality of the electricity grid and / or the availability of local generated green energy at a certain moment.
    The heating system of claim 12, wherein the control unit is adapted to at least locally optimize the flow quality of
    BE2018 / 5125 the electricity grid by controlling the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit.
    14. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, comprising a control unit which is adapted to partially or fully control the consumption of electricity of the at least one processing unit on the basis of a demand for energy from the first heat source.
    15. Heating system as claimed in any of the foregoing claims, communicatively connected to a central server adapted to control the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit, for instance for optimizing the power quality of the electricity network.
    16. Heating system for heating a room and / or water comprising:
    a first heat source connected to one or more heating circuits and adapted to heat a heating fluid in at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits, a second heat source comprising at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, the at least one at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a heat transfer unit adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of performing the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to at least at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits for preheating heating fluid flowing to the first heat source and / or reheating heating fluid flowing from the first heat source.
    BE2018 / 5125
    The heating system of claim 16, wherein the first heat source is a heat pump, such as a geothermal heat pump and / or a fuel cell.
    A heating system according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a plurality of heat transfer units adapted to cool the at least one processing unit by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of the execution of the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to heating fluid in each of a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits.
    A combination of a central server and a plurality of heating systems according to any one of the preceding claims which are communicatively connected to the central server, wherein the combination is adapted to control the consumption of electricity from the processing units, for example for optimizing the power quality of the electricity grid.
    A method of heating a liquid in a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits, comprising cooling at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, using a heat transfer unit thermally connected to the at least one processing unit, by transferring heat, which is generated at least in part as a result of performing the calculation tasks, from the at least one processing unit to heating fluid in each of the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits.
    A method according to claim 20, comprising transferring heat to the plurality of separate fluid flow circuits in a possibly fixed, prioritized manner.
    BE2018 / 5125
    A method according to claim 20 or 21, wherein the processing unit comprises one or more servers, for example connectable to a communication network.
    The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, wherein the one or more servers are part of a distributed data center.
    A method according to any of claims 20-23, comprising enclosing the at least one processing unit in an enclosure.
    The method of claim 24, including immersing the at least one processing unit in a cooling fluid, such as an oil or two-phase fluid.
    The method of claim 24, comprising providing a phase change material in the enclosure.
    The method of any one of claims 20-26, further comprising storing heat in a heat reservoir and / or storing electrical energy in a battery.
    A method according to any of claims 20-27, comprising partially or fully scheduling the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit at times when there is a high electricity supply.
    A method according to claims 27 and 28, comprising storing heat and / or electrical energy at times when there is a high power supply.
    A method according to any one of claims 20-29, comprising partially or completely scheduling the consumption of electricity of the at least one processing unit based on the current quality of the
    BE2018 / 5125 electricity grid and / or the availability of locally generated green energy at a given moment.
    A method according to claim 30, comprising optimizing the electricity quality of the electricity grid at least locally by controlling the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit.
    A method according to any of claims 20-31, comprising partially or fully controlling the consumption of electricity from the at least one processing unit based on a demand for energy from the first heat source.
    A method as claimed in any one of claims 20-32, comprising communicatively connecting to a central server adapted to control electricity consumption of the at least one processing unit, for example for optimizing the power quality of the electricity network.
    A method according to any one of claims 20-33, comprising controlling electricity consumption of a plurality of processing units, for example for optimizing the power quality of the electricity network, using a central server communicatively connected to the plurality of processing units.
    35. A method for heating a room and / or water, comprising:
    heating a heating fluid in at least one of one or more heating fluid circuits by means of a first heat source connected to the one or more heating fluid circuits, cooling at least one processing unit with at least one processor for performing calculation tasks, using a heat transfer unit thermally connected to the at least one processing unit, by transferring heat, which is at least partially as
    BE2018 / 5125 as a result of performing the calculation tasks is generated, from the at least one processing unit to at least one of the one or more heating fluid circuits for preheating heating fluid flowing to the first heat source and / or after-heating of
    [10]
    37. A method according to claim 35 or 36, wherein the at least one processing unit is thermally connected to a plurality of heat transfer units, the method comprising transferring heat from the at least one processing unit to the heating fluid in each of a plurality of separate fluid flow circuits .
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    BE1025458A1|2019-03-04|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    US20120158190A1|2010-12-21|2012-06-21|Microsoft Corporation|Home heating server|
    US20140303787A1|2011-02-01|2014-10-09|AoTerra GmbH|Heating system and method for heating a building and/or for preparing hot water|
    US20150195954A1|2014-01-07|2015-07-09|Lawrence Orsini|Distributed Computing And Combined Computation Exhaust Heat Recovery System|
    法律状态:
    2019-04-01| FG| Patent granted|Effective date: 20190311 |
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    BE2017/5133|2017-03-03|
    BE201705133|2017-03-03|
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