IBM wants to cool data centers with their own waste heat

IBM is launching THRIVE project to develop the heat pump system utilizing the heat generated from the server in order to cool itself. They claimed that this approach can save 65% of electricity used to serve the cooling, heating, and reduce 18% consumption of fossil fuels, or 1.8 million tons of CO2 until 2040.

The heat pump system works similar to air conditioning but the reverse process. It means that it conducts heat away from where lower temperatures to higher temperatures. Normally the heat pump will absorb the heat in ambient (using evaporator). The amount of cold air will be brought into an electric compressor to be liquefied. Finally, the heat will be removed and the refrigerant will run back the evaporator.

However, IBM’s THRIVE system uses a heat exchanger to absorb passively instead of the electric condenser like the normal heat pump system. This heat exchanger will act as a heat radiation. It will absorb a large amount of steam and compress it by a multitude of built in small wings. On the other hand, people also use silica gel placed between the wings to enhance the cooling efficiency of the system.

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