Energy production from waste heat using a shape memory drive or heat engine

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10344744-B2
Application number	US-201815925661-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2018
Priority date	Jun 8, 2015
Publication date	Jul 9, 2019
Grant date	Jul 9, 2019

Abstract

A data center includes computing devices, an air handling system, a heat engine, and a generator. Air moved by the air handling system flows across heat-producing components in the computing devices in the data center. Heat from air that has flowed over the heat-producing components heats a hot section of the heat engine. The heat engine generates mechanical work based on a temperature differential between a hot section of the heat engine and a cold section of the heat engine. The generator generates electricity from the mechanical work generated by the heat engine.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data center, comprising:
a plurality of computing devices;
a liquid cooling system configured to move a liquid across heat-producing components in the computing devices;
a heat engine comprising:
a hot section, wherein the hot section is heated by the liquid that has cooled the heat-producing components in the computing devices; and
a cool section at a lower temperature than the hot section,
wherein the heat engine is configured to generate mechanical work based on a temperature differential between the hot section and the cool section of the heat engine;

a generator coupled to the heat engine, wherein the generator is configured to generate electricity from the mechanical work generated by the heat engine; and
an energy storage system comprising one or more energy storage devices electrically coupled to the generator, wherein the energy storage system is configured to:
store the electricity generated by the generator to the one or more energy storage devices; and
selectively supply electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices to the computing devices to supplement electrical power supplied to the computing devices from another source, wherein the electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices is selectively supplied to the computing devices based on one or more conditions in the data center or one or more factors related to the electrical power supplied to the computing device from the other source.

2. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the heat engine further comprises:
one or more shape memory elements coupled to a shaft;
wherein the heat engine is configured such that the one or more shape memory elements are deformed when passing through the cool section and recover to a pre-deformation shape when passing through the hot section, wherein a force produced by the one or more shape memory elements recovering to the pre-deformation shape when passing through the hot section causes the shaft to rotate generating the mechanical work.

3. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the cool section of the heat engine is air cooled.

4. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the cool section of the heat engine is cooled by the liquid cooling system.

5. The data center of claim 1 , wherein the heat engine comprises:
a turbine configured to generate the mechanical work.

6. The data center of claim 5 , wherein the heat engine comprises a low-boiling point working fluid,
wherein the low-boiling point working fluid changes phases from a liquid phase to a vapor phase in the hot section of the heat engine,
wherein the vapor phase of the low-boiling point working fluid causes a rotor of the turbine to rotate to generate the mechanical work, and
wherein the low-boiling point working fluid is condensed to a liquid phase in the cool section of the heat engine.

7. The data center of claim 6 , wherein the low-boiling point working fluid comprises:
a pressurized refrigerant; or
a super-critical fluid.

8. A system comprising;
a liquid cooling system configured to move a liquid across heat-producing components; and
a heat engine comprising:
a hot section, wherein the hot section is heated by the liquid that has removed heat from the heat-producing components; and
a cool section at a lower temperature than the hot section,

wherein the heat engine is configured to generate mechanical work based on a temperature differential between the hot section and the cool section;
a generator coupled to the heat engine, wherein the generator is configured to generate electricity from the mechanical work generated by the heat engine; and
an energy storage system comprising one or more energy storage devices electrically coupled to the generator, wherein the energy storage system is configured to:
store the electricity generated by the generator to the one or more energy storage devices; and
selectively supply electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices to the heat-producing components to supplement electrical power supplied to the heat-producing components from another source, wherein the electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices is selectively supplied to the heat-producing components based on one or more conditions in a facility that includes the heat-producing components or one or more factors related to the electrical power supplied to the heat-producing components from the other source.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the heat engine comprises one or more shape memory elements coupled to a shaft, and wherein the heat engine is configured such that the one or more shape memory elements are deformed and recover to a pre-deformation shape, wherein a force produced by the one or more shape memory elements recovering to the pre-deformation shape generates the mechanical work.

10. The system of claim 8 , wherein the cool section of the heat engine is cooled by the liquid cooling system.

11. The system of claim 8 , wherein the heat engine comprises:
a turbine configured to generate the mechanical work.

12. The system of claim 11 , wherein the heat engine comprises a low-boiling point working fluid,
wherein the low-boiling point working fluid changes phases from a liquid phase to a vapor phase in the hot section of the heat engine,
wherein the vapor phase of the low-boiling point working fluid causes a rotor of the turbine to rotate, and
wherein the low-boiling point working fluid is condensed to a liquid phase in the cool section of the heat engine.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the low-boiling point working fluid comprises:
a pressurized refrigerant; or
a super-critical fluid.

14. A method, comprising:
circulating a liquid of a liquid-cooling system across heat-producing components to cool the heat producing components;
heating a hot section of a heat engine, wherein the liquid passed over the heat-producing components is used to heat the hot section of the heat engine, wherein the heat engine comprises the hot section and a cool section at a lower temperature than the hot section; and
generating, by the heat engine, mechanical work, wherein the heat engine is configured to generate the mechanical work based on a temperature differential between the hot section of the heat engine and the cool section of the heat engine;
generating electricity, by a generator coupled to the heat engine;
storing the electricity in one or more energy storage devices; and
selectively supplying electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices to the heat-producing components to supplement electrical power supplied to the heat-producing components from another source, wherein the electrical power from the one or more energy storage devices is selectively supplied to the heat producing components based on one or more conditions in a facility that includes the heat-producing components or one or more factors related to the electrical power supplied to the heat-producing components from the other source.

15. The method of claim 14 , further comprising:
generating electrical power from the mechanical work generated by the heat engine.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein generating, by the heat engine, the mechanical work comprises:
generating mechanical work via one or more shape memory elements coupled to a shaft, wherein the heat engine is configured such that the one or more shape memory elements are deformed and recover to a pre-deformation shape, wherein a force produced by the one or more shape memory elements recovering to the pre-deformation shape generates the mechanical work.

Assignees

• Amazon Tech Inc

Inventors

• Ross Peter George

Classifications

• G06F1/26

  Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof (for memories G11C) · CPC title

• Y02E20/14

  Combined heat and power generation [CHP] · CPC title

• H05K7/20745

  within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device · CPC title

• H02K7/1853

  driven by intermittent forces · CPC title

• F03G7/065 Primary

  using a shape memory element · CPC title