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Patent 2824112 Summary

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(12) Patent Application: (11) CA 2824112
(54) English Title: GREEN OR ADAPTIVE DATA CENTER SYSTEM HAVING PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
(54) French Title: SYSTEME DE CENTRE DE DONNEES ADAPTATIF OU ECOLOGIQUE COMPORTANT DES SOURCES D'ENERGIE RENOUVELABLES PRIMAIRES ET SECONDAIRES
Status: Deemed Abandoned and Beyond the Period of Reinstatement - Pending Response to Notice of Disregarded Communication
Bibliographic Data
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC):
  • G06F 1/20 (2006.01)
  • C12M 1/00 (2006.01)
  • C12N 1/12 (2006.01)
  • C12P 5/02 (2006.01)
  • C12P 7/64 (2022.01)
  • F25B 30/00 (2006.01)
  • H02K 7/20 (2006.01)
  • H02S 40/44 (2014.01)
(72) Inventors :
  • KAMALUDEEN, MIRZA (Canada)
  • RATNAM, KUMARAN (Canada)
  • VIJAYASUGANTHAN, KARTHIGESU (Canada)
(73) Owners :
  • MIRZA KAMALUDEEN
  • KUMARAN RATNAM
  • KARTHIGESU VIJAYASUGANTHAN
(71) Applicants :
  • MIRZA KAMALUDEEN (Canada)
  • KUMARAN RATNAM (Canada)
  • KARTHIGESU VIJAYASUGANTHAN (Canada)
(74) Agent:
(74) Associate agent:
(45) Issued:
(22) Filed Date: 2013-08-16
(41) Open to Public Inspection: 2014-02-17
Availability of licence: N/A
Dedicated to the Public: N/A
(25) Language of filing: English

Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT): No

(30) Application Priority Data:
Application No. Country/Territory Date
61/684232 (United States of America) 2012-08-17

Abstracts

English Abstract


A data center system is disclosed. The data center includes a housing heat
producing compute IT equipment, a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector
as a first
electrical power source, a bio-gas power generator system as second electrical
power
source, a bio-oil power generator system as a third electrical power source,
and a heat
transfer system having a circulating coolant, wherein the heat transfer system
captures and
transfers waste heat generated by the compute IT equipment and the
photovoltaic thermal
hybrid solar collector to the circulating coolant, and transfers heat from the
heated coolant
to at least one of the bio-gas power generator system as a primary electrical
power source
for the IT equipment and the bio-oil power generator system as a secondary
power source
for the IT equipment.


Claims

Note: Claims are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


WE CLAIM:
1. A data center system comprising:
a data center housing heat producing compute IT equipment;
a photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector as a first electrical power
source;
a bio-gas power generator system as a second electrical power source;
a bio-oil power generator system as a third electrical power source; and
a heat transfer system having a circulating coolant, wherein the heat transfer
system captures and transfers waste heat generated by the compute IT equipment
and the
photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector to the circulating coolant, and
transfers heat
from the heated coolant to at least one of the bio-gas power generator system
and the bio-oil
power generator system, wherein the bio-gas power generator system functions
as a primary
electrical power source for the compute IT equipment and the bio-oil power
generator
system functions as a secondary electrical power source for the compute IT
equipment.
2. The data center system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the data
center
comprises an equipment cabinet storing the IT equipment, and the heat transfer
system
comprises a cooling unit associated with the equipment cabinet, the cooling
unit housing a
heat exchanger for capturing and transferring the waste heat product produced
by the IT
equipment to the circulating coolant of the heat transfer system.
3. The data center system in accordance with claim 2, wherein the bio-gas
power
generator system comprises a bio-mass holding tank for storing bio-waste
material, a
biodigester for producing a bio-gas from the bio-waste material stored and
transferred from
the bio-mass holding tank, a bio-gas holding tank for storing the bio-gas
produced and
18

transferred from the biodigester, and a bio-gas generator for generating
electrical power
from the bio-gas stored and transferred from the bio-gas holding tank.
4. The data center system in accordance with claim 3, wherein the bio-oil
power
generator system comprises a hot water holding tank for storing heated water,
an algae
growth pond in fluid communication with the hot water holding tank for growing
oil
producing algae, an algae oil extractor for extracting bio-oil from the algae
grown in the
algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for storing the bio-oil extracted by
the algae oil
extractor, and a bio-oil generator for generating electrical power from the
bio-oil stored and
transferred from the bio-oil holding tank.
5. The data center system in accordance with claim 4, wherein the heat
exchanger
system comprises a first heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the
circulating coolant
to the bio-waste stored in the bio-mass holding tank, a second heat transfer
unit for
transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the biodigester, a third
heat transfer unit for
transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the water stored in the hot
water holding
tank, and a fourth heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the
circulating coolant to the
algae growth pond.
6. The data center system in accordance with claim 5, wherein the coolant
comprises
one of water and a water/glycol mixture.
7. The data center system in accordance with claim 6, wherein the biogas
comprises
methane gas.
8. A data center system comprising:
a data center housing an equipment cabinet storing IT equipment;
19

a bio-gas power generator system comprising a bio-mass holding tank for
storing bio-waste material, a biodigester for producing a bio-gas from the bio-
waste material
stored in the bio-mass holding tank, a bio-gas holding tank for storing the
bio-gas produced
by the biodigester, and a bio-gas generator for generating electrical power
from the bio-gas
stored in the bio-gas holding tank;
a bio-oil power generator system comprising a hot water holding tank for
storing heated water, an algae growth pond operably connected to the hot water
holding
tank for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor for extracting
bio-oil from the
algae grown in the algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for storing the
bio-oil extracted
by the algae oil extractor, and a bio-oil generator for generating electrical
power from the
bio-oil stored in the bio-oil holding tank; and
a heat exchanger system comprising a first heat exchanger unit being in fluid
communication with an internal space of the cabinet, the first heat exchanger
unit being
operable to intake heated air generated by the IT equipment from the internal
space of the
cabinet and exhaust cooled air to the internal space of the cabinet by passing
the heated air
through the first heat exchanger unit where heat is transferred to a coolant
circulated
through the first heat exchanger unit, the first heat exchanger unit including
a coolant outlet
and a coolant return, whereby in circulation the coolant outlet supplies the
heated coolant to
at least one second heat exchanger unit for transferring the heat from the
coolant to at least
one of the bio-mass holding tank, the biodigester, the hot water holding tank
and the algae
growth pond, wherein the coolant is circulated back to the first heat
exchanger unit via the
coolant return; wherein the bio-mass holding tank uses the heat removed from
the
circulating coolant to preheat the bio-waste material, the bioreactor uses the
heat removed
from the circulating coolant to produce the bio-gas, the hot water holding
tank uses the heat

removed from the circulating coolant to preheat the heated water, and the
algae growth pond
uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to heat the pond water.
9. The data center system in accordance with claim 8, further comprising at
least one
photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector for generating electrical power,
wherein the
circulating coolant flows through the at least one photovoltaic thermal hybrid
solar collector
where heat is transferred from the at least one photovoltaic thermal hybrid
solar collector to
the coolant.
10. The data center system in accordance with claim 9, wherein the coolant
comprises
one of water and a water/glycol mixture.
11. The data center system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the biogas
comprises
methane gas.
21

Description

Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.


CA 02824112 2013-08-16
GREEN OR ADAPTIVE DATA CENTER SYSTEM HAVING
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES
Scope of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data center and more specifically to a data
center
system having primary and secondary renewable energy supply sources.
Background of the Invention
Data centers host business critical systems and are required to be available
seven
days a week, twenty-four hours a day, for each day of the year. It is among
the highest
energy consuming entity in the information technology ("IT") industry and is
also the
fastest growing.
Approximately 80% of data center operating costs are energy related and
account for
one of the largest "single" industry uses of power globally. Data centers are
estimated to
use 2% of all the power produced in the United States at a cost of about $200
billion (USD)
of power usage annually (EPA, 2008). A data center provides the information
technology
sector with infrastructure, the size and expanse of which is growing at a rate
of 40%
annually (Gartner, 2010).
Data centers are also among the most inefficient systems when it comes to
energy
consumption. On average, data centers have a 45% efficiency rating, i.e. at
best only 45%
of the energy supplied to the data center is consumed by the IT
equipment/servers, with the
remaining 55% being used to cool the data center system equipment. The purpose
of the
cooling infrastructure is to create the optimal computing environment,
ensuring operational
longevity of the IT equipment, (i.e. networks, servers, data storage,
monitoring and
1

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
management systems) installed within and the vitality of the IT system they
support.
The IT systems themselves also consume a lot of power. For example, a typical
server may consume about 600 Watts per hour (Koomey et al, US Congress Report,
2008)
with most data centers having in excess of 7,000 servers. Therefore the annual
consumption
of a typical data center could be as much as 37,000 Megawatt/year or $3.0 M of
IT energy
and another $3.0 M for cooling. In addition, the need for maximum availability
introduces
multiple redundant components at all levels. A typical enterprise data center
is designed to
uptime Institute Tier III specifications, where there is N+1 of all components
and a Tier IV
facility has dual redundancy (2N+1), where two redundant components are active
at all
times with a redundant pair on standby for backup. This requirement for
redundancy further
exuberate the inefficiency and increased costs associated with operating a
data center.
Today, a typical data center has a Power Utilization Efficiency ratio of 2.4
(Gartner, Burton
and McKenzie, 2010). This implies that 2.4 kWatt is supplied to the data
center for every 1
kWatt consumed at the server. A PUE of 2.8 to 3.1 is not uncommon in older
data center
structures.
In addition, because data centers host business critical systems, they require
redundant power sources in the event of power failure, namely primary and
secondary
power sources. Traditionally, primary power sources include utility feed
(power generated
by nuclear plants or burning of fossil fuel) with secondary sources being
provided by
standby diesel generators. In both cases, neither is a renewable energy source
and are major
causes of adverse environmental impact, which when compounded by the
additional impact
of waste heat generated and exhausted to the environment by the data center,
increases the
impact and environmental harm caused by data center systems as a whole.
2

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
Undoubtedly, data centers system have a combined negative environmental impact
due to the large energies consumed and additional waste heat product exhausted
to the
environment during cooling. Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved
data center
system which reduces energy consumption and improves and/or minimizes the
environmental impact of data center system on the environment.
Summary of Invention
The present invention has been developed in view of the difficulties in the
art noted
and described above.
The data center system in accordance with the present invention incorporates
renewable energy sources, whereby waste heat generated by the data center
compute IT
equipment is captured and transferred to the renewable energy sources for use
in the
production of electricity that may be supplied back to the data center compute
IT
equipment.
In a first aspect, the present invention provides a data center system
comprising a
data center housing heat producing compute IT equipment, a photovoltaic
thermal hybrid
solar collector as a primary electrical power source, a bio-gas power
generator system as a
secondary electrical power source, a bio-oil power generator system as a
tertiary electrical
power source and a heat transfer system having a circulating coolant, wherein
the heat
transfer system captures and transfers waste heat generated by the compute IT
equipment
and the photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector to the circulating
coolant, and transfers
heat from the heated coolant to at least one of the bio-gas power generator
system and the
bio-oil power generator system.
3

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
, .
In a further aspect, the data center comprises an equipment cabinet storing
the
compute IT equipment, and the heat transfer system comprises a cooling unit
associated
with the equipment cabinet, the cooling unit housing a heat exchanger for
capturing and
transferring the waste heat product produced by the compute IT equipment
stored in the
equipment cabinet to the circulating coolant of the heat transfer system
passing through the
cooling unit.
In a further aspect, the bio-gas power generator system comprises a bio-mass
holding tank for storing bio-waste material, a biodigester for producing a bio-
gas from the
bio-waste material stored and transferred from the bio-mass holding tank, a
bio-gas holding
tank for storing the bio-gas produced and transferred from the biodigester,
and a bio-gas
generator for generating electrical power from the bio-gas stored and
transferred from the
bio-gas holding tank.
In a further aspect, the bio-oil power generator system comprises a hot water
holding
tank for storing heated water, an algae growth pond in fluid communication
with the hot
water holding tank for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor for
extracting bio-
oil from the algae grown in the algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for
storing the bio-
oil extracted by the algae oil extractor, and a bio-oil generator for
generating electrical
power from the bio-oil stored and transferred from the bio-oil holding tank.
In a further aspect, the heat exchanger system comprises a first heat transfer
unit for
transferring heat from the circulating coolant to the bio-waste stored in the
bio-mass holding
tank, a second heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the circulating
coolant to the
biodigester, a third heat transfer unit for transferring heat from the
circulating coolant to the
4

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
water stored in the hot water holding tank, and a fourth heat transfer unit
for transferring
heat from the circulating coolant to the algae growth pond.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data center
system
comprising: a data center housing an equipment cabinet storing IT equipment; a
bio-gas
power generator system comprising a bio-mass holding tank for storing bio-
waste material,
a biodigester for producing a bio-gas from the bio-waste material stored in
the bio-mass
holding tank, a bio-gas holding tank for storing the bio-gas produced by the
biodigester, and
a bio-gas generator for generating electrical power from the bio-gas stored in
the bio-gas
holding tank; a bio-oil power generator system comprising a hot water holding
tank for
storing heated water, an algae growth pond operably connected to the hot water
holding
tank for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor for extracting
bio-oil from the
algae grown in the algae growth pond, a bio-oil holding tank for storing the
bio-oil extracted
by the algae oil extractor, and a bio-oil generator for generating electrical
power from the
bio-oil stored in the bio-oil holding tank; and a heat exchanger system
comprising a first
heat exchanger unit being in fluid communication with an internal space of the
cabinet, the
first heat exchanger unit being operable to intake heated air generated by the
IT equipment
from the internal space of the cabinet and exhaust cooled air to the internal
space of the
cabinet by passing the heated air through the first heat exchanger unit where
heat is
transferred to a coolant circulated through the first heat exchanger unit, the
first heat
exchanger unit including a coolant outlet and a coolant return, whereby in
circulation the
coolant outlet supplies the heated coolant to at least one second heat
exchanger unit for
transferring the heat from the coolant to at least one of the bio-mass holding
tank, the
biodigester, the hot water holding tank and the algae growth pond, wherein the
cooled
coolant is circulated back to the first heat exchanger unit via the coolant
return; wherein the

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
bio-mass holding tank uses the heat removed from the circulating coolant to
preheat the bio-
waste material, the bioreactor uses the heat removed from the circulating
coolant to produce
the bio-gas, the hot water holding tank uses the heat removed from the
circulating coolant to
preheat the heated water, and the algae growth pond uses the heat removed from
the
circulating coolant to heat the pond water.
In yet a further aspect, the coolant comprises water and/or a water/glycol
mixture.
In yet a further aspect, the biogas comprises methane gas.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent upon reading the
following
detailed description and drawings, which illustrate exemplary embodiments of
this
invention.
Brief Description of the Drawings
Reference may now be had to the following detailed description taken together
with
the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 shows a schematic overview of a data center system in accordance with
the
present invention.
Figure 2 shows a front perspective view of a cooling unit of the data center
system
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 3 shows an exploded front perspective view of a left side
equipment/server
cabinet, the cooling unit shown in Figure 2, and a right side equipment/server
cabinet of the
data center system shown in Figure 1.
6

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
,
Figure 4 shows a top plan view of the air flow through the cooling unit shown
in
Figure 2.
Figure 5 shows a top plan view of the air flow through the left side
equipment/server
cabinet, the cooling unit and the right side equipment/server cabinet shown in
Figure 3.
Figure 6 shows a data center system in accordance with a first embodiment of
the
present invention.
Figure 7 shows a data center system in accordance with a second embodiment of
the
present invention.
Figure 8 shows a data center system in accordance with a third embodiment of
the
present invention.
Figure 9 shows a data center system in accordance with a fourth embodiment of
the
present invention.
Figure 10 shows a front perspective view of a photovoltaic thermal hybrid
solar
collector of the data center system shown in Figure 1.
Detailed Description of the Invention
Reference may now be made to Figure 1 which illustrates a schematic overview
of
the components of a data center system 1000 in accordance with the present
disclosure. The
data center system 1000 includes a data center 100 housing IT compute
equipment, a
photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector 500, a bio-gas power generator
system 200, a
bio-oil power generator system 300, a cooling-tower 600 and a heat transfer
system 400.
7
,

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
The data center 100 houses a plurality of cabinets/racks 12a, 12b. Each
cabinet 12a,
12b includes a box-like frame having top, bottom, right side and left side
panels defining an
interior space. Each cabinet 12a, 12b also includes front and rear doors
providing access to
the interior space of the cabinet 12a, 12b. The front door and/or rear doors
may be made of
any suitable material, but preferably are made from a transparent material
such as a glass or
polymer based material. In a closed position, each of the front and rear doors
provide an air
tight seal with respect the frame so the interior space of each cabinet 12a,
12b is sealed from
an exterior environment of the cabinet 12a, 12b.
Within the interior space of each cabinet 12a, 12b there is provided at least
one
horizontal shelve for supporting IT equipment 10, such as servers. The shelves
divide the
interior space of the cabinets 12a, 12b into separated horizontal
compartments, respectively,
and may be arranged such that each compartment is sealed or isolated from one
another.
The heat transfer system 400 includes a plurality of in-line cooling units 70,
with
each unit being associated with a respective cabinet 12a, 12b of the data
center 100. Each
in-line cooling unit 70 includes a box-like frame 71 having a top panel 72, a
bottom panel
73, a right side panel 74 (shown as being removed in Figure 2) and a left side
panel 75.
Adjustable leveling pads 76 are provided on a bottom portion of the frame 71,
with front 78
and rear 79 doors being hinge mounted to the frame 71. The front door 78 and
rear door 79
are of a solid construction and provide an air tight seal with respect to the
frame 71 when in
a closed position so that an interior space of the cooling unit 70 is sealed
from its
surrounding environment.
Within the interior space of the cooling unit 70 there is provided in parallel
relationship, a first heat exchanger unit 81 and a second heat exchanger unit
82. The heat
8

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
exchanger units 81 and 82 are arranged centrally within the cooling unit 70
and are disposed
across a width of the cooling unit 70. In a preferred aspect, to maximize the
area of heat
transfer between the flowing air and the heat exchangers, each heat exchanger
81 and 82 is
provided with a convex surface bowing outwardly towards the rear door 76 of
the cooling
unit 70. The in-line cooling unit 70 is provided with a coolant supply line to
supply a
cooled coolant, preferably water at < 15 degree Celsius, to the first and
second heat
exchanger units 81 and 82 where heat transfer takes place and a coolant
exhaust line to
remove the heated water, preferably at > 25 degree C, which has passed through
the first
and second heat exchangers 81, 82. Each of the coolant supply line and the
coolant exhaust
line may be provided with feed pumps, filters and/or shut off valves, as
required to control
the flow of coolant through the in-line cooling unit 70.
As more fully detailed in Figures 2 and 3, towards a rear section of the
cooling unit
70 six directional rearward fans 83 are arranged height-wise from top to
bottom. The fans
83 are arranged to suck in air through rear air inlets 85 provided in the
right side panel 74
and left side panel 75 of the cooling unit 70. Similarly, towards the front
section of the
cooling unit 70 six directional forward fans 84 are arranged height-wise from
top to bottom,
similar to the rearward fans 81 The forward fans 84 are arranged to blow air
outwardly
through front air outlets 86 provided in the right side panel 74 and left side
panel 75 of the
cooling unit 70.
Each cabinet 12a, 12b is provided with a plurality of corresponding openings
66a ¨
66f in either the right side panel 38 and/or left side panel 42 so that the
interior space of the
cabinets 12a, 12b are in air flow communication with an associated in-line
cooling unit 70.
For example, as shown in Figure 3, in use, each of the rear air inlets 85 of
the in-line
9

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
cooling unit 70 are in fluid communication with respective openings 66a, 66c
and 66e in the
right side panel 38 of an associated adjacent cabinet 12a of the data center
100 and the left
side panel 42 of an associated adjacent cabinet 12b. Similarly, each of the
front air outlets
86 are in fluid communication with respective opening 66b, 66d and 66f in the
right side
panel 38 of cabinet 12a and the left side panel 42 of cabinet 12b.
Figures 4 and 5 illustrate the flow of air through the cooling unit 70 and
adjacent
cabinets 12a, 12b in an operational state. As shown with the directional
arrows, hot air is
sucked into the cooling unit 70 from adjacent equipment cabinets 12a, 12b
through the rear
air inlets 85 by means of the fans 83. The hot air is blown through the first
and second heat
exchangers 81 and 82, respectively, where water cooled fins remove and
transfer the heat
from the air stream into the coolant circulating through the heat exchanger
units 81 and 82.
The cooled air is then blown out of the cooling unit 70 with the fans 84
through the air
outlets 86 to the adjacent left side cabinet 12a and right side cabinet 12b of
the data center
100. Accordingly, air flow through the cooling unit 70 is from back to front.
The fans 83
draw in the warm air exhausted from the IT equipment 10 located in the
adjacent cabinets
12a, 12b into the rear of the cooling unit 70. The heated air is then directed
through the
air/water heat exchangers 81, 82 where the heat is transferred into the
coolant flowing
through the heat exchangers 81, 82. The resultant cooled air is then
directionally blown to
the front side of the adjacent cabinets 12a, 12b with the assistance of the
directional fans 84.
Preferably, the heat exchanger is double headed, where two separated air/water
heat
exchanger micro tubes packs are located in the chambers. Preferably each unit
81 and 82
are independent and have independent water supply and exhaust lines to add
redundancy
and capacity to the system. Condensate (if any) is collected in a collecting
tray positioned
below the heat exchanger units 81 and 82, which drains into a waste line.

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
The in-line cooling unit 70 is constructed to create a cyclonic air movement
profile
within the IT equipment cabinets 12a, 12b to cool the equipment 10 stored
therein. The
temperature control of the cold air into the IT equipment takes place through
set point
validation, with appropriately positioned sensors and controls. When the set
point is
exceeded, a control valve of the cold water is opened and/or the fan speed of
the fans 83, 84
are adjusted accordingly. Preferably, by default only one of the heat exchange
units 81 and
82 is active. If however the outlet temperature cannot reach the set point or
a failure in one
heat exchanger occurs, another valve will open and the second heat exchanger
is activated.
Also, the fans 83 and 84 speed may be varied which will accelerate or slow
down the air
flow through the cabinets 12a, 12b, depending on the delta in temperate
between the hot and
cold side of the cabinets.
Reference may now be made to Figure 6 which exemplifies an embodiment 2000 of
the present disclosure where the heated coolant from the in-line cooling unit
70 of the data
center 100 is circulated between the data center 100, a bio-gas power
generator system 200
and a bio-oil power generator system 300.
The bio-gas power generator system 200 includes a bio-mass holding tank 220
for
storing bio-waste material, a biodigester 240 for producing a bio-gas from the
bio-waste
material stored and transferred from the bio-mass holding tank 220, a bio-gas
holding tank
260 for storing the bio-gas produced and transferred from the biodigester 240,
and a bio-gas
generator 280 for generating electrical power from the bio-gas stored and
transferred from
the bio-gas holding tank 260.
The biodigester 240 includes biodigesters, as for example mesophilile or
thermophilic digesters, and the bio-waste material transferred from the bio-
mass holding
11

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
tank 220 preferably includes cow manure, hay, water and mixtures thereof.
Preferably, the
bio-waste material includes 92% organic solid such as cow waste (manure);
straw and corn
husk extract and 8% water. In a preferred aspect, advantageously a portion of
the water
stored in the bio-mass holding tank 220 may be supplied directly from the
heated coolant
circulating through the heat transfer system 400 when the coolant used is
water.
The biodigester 240 produces a bio-gas, as for example methane gas. The bio-
gas is
transferred to the bio-gas holding tank 260 for storage. The stored bio-gas
may then be
transferred to the electrical generator 280 through a supply line valve where
electricity is
produced through combustion of the bio-gas. The electricity generated by the
generator 280
is supplied back to the IT equipment via power feed lines at the appropriate
power
requirements as a primary source of power for the data center 100.
The bio-oil power generator system 300 includes a hot water holding tank 310
for
storing heated water, an algae growth pond 320 in fluid communication with the
hot water
holding tank 310 for growing oil producing algae, an algae oil extractor 330
for extracting
oil from the algae grown and transferred from the algae growth pond 320, a bio-
oil holding
tank 340 for storing the oil extracted and transferred from the algae oil
extractor 330, and a
bio-oil generator 350 for generating electrical power from the bio-oil stored
and transferred
from the bio-oil holding tank 340.
The hot water holding tank 310 stores water at about 20 to 40 degree Celsius,
more
preferably 25 to 30 degree Celsius, and supplies the water to the algae growth
pond 320
where oil producing algae is grown. Preferably, the temperature of the pond
320 is
maintained between 25 to 37 degree Celsius for optimum algae growth
conditions. The
algae is then transferred to the algae oil extractor 330 which extracts the
bio-oil from the oil
12

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
producing algae grown and transferred from the algae growth pond 320. The
extracted bio-
oil is then transferred for storage to the bio-oil holding tank 340 for later
use by the bio-oil
generator 350 to produce electricity through combustion of the bio-oil. The
electricity
generated by the generator 350 is supplied back to the IT equipment via power
feed lines at
the appropriate power requirements as a secondary source of power for the data
center 100.
The heat transfer system 400 circulates/supplies the heated coolant (i.e.
water) from
the in-line cooling units 70 of the data center 100 between the bio-mass
holding tank 220,
the biodigester 240, the hot water holding tank 310 and algae growth pond 320
where heat
transfer from the heated coolant (water) to at least one of the bio-mass
holding tank 220, the
biodigester 240, the hot water holding tank 310 and algae growth pond 320
takes place
through a number of associated heat transfer units 410, 420, 430, 440,
respectively. Each
heat transfer unit 410, 420, 430, 440 includes associated control/by-pass
valve 410a, 420a,
430a, 440a which control the flow of water through the respective heat
transfer unit 410,
420, 430, 440 to thereby control the heat transfer from the circulating
coolant (water) as
desired, and based on set point temperatures. Preferably, the control system
selects the most
efficient use of heat input to the bio-gas system 200 and bio-oil system 300
based on set
point temperatures. For example, the heat in the circulating coolant (water)
may be
transferred to pre-heat the bio-waste material stored in the bio-mass holding
tank 220 or the
water stored in the holding tank 310, and to provide direct heat to the
biodigester 240 or the
algae growth pond 320. Like the data center 100 which requires electricity to
function, the
biodigester 240 of the bio-gas power generator system 200 requires the bio-
waste material
to be heated to about 40 to 55 degree Celsius to efficiently produce the bio-
gas. By pre-
heating the bio-waste material, the amount of energy required to raise the
temperature of the
bio-waste to bio-gas production conditions is significantly reduced and/or the
bio-waste
13

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
may be maintained at elevated temperatures for extended periods of time,
thereby reducing
production times. Similarly, the bio-oil power generator system 300 requires
temperatures
of about 25 to 37 degree Celsius of the pond 320 to efficiently grow the oil
producing algae.
After the removal of heat from the circulating coolant (water) by at least one
of the
bio-gas power generator system 200 and the bio-oil power generator system 300,
the
subsequently cooled coolant is then returned to the in-line cooling units 70
of the data center
100 to absorb heat generated by the IT equipment 10 of the data center 100 as
was detailed
above.
With the data center system embodiment 2000, the closed loop circulation of
the
coolant (water) allows for the waste heat generated by the IT equipment to be
utilized in the
production of renewable green energy which is supplied back to the IT
equipment, thereby
reducing the carbon footprint and environmental impact of the data center
system 2000.
Furthermore, the renewable green energy source additionally uses waste-by-
products, such
as animal manure, as an input in the generation of electricity which also
further reduces the
overall environmental impact of the data center system 2000 in accordance with
the present
disclosure.
Reference may now be made to Figure 7 which exemplifies a further embodiment
3000 in accordance the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown in Figure
7, the
coolant circulating through the heat transfer system 400 is water. The water,
which has
been heated by passing through the cooling unit 70 of the data center 100 is
supplied
directly to the pond 320 as heated pond water. Cooler pond water is then
directly supplied
to the cooling unit 70 of the data center from the pond 320 through an algae
filter 325 which
separates the algae from the water. In accordance with this embodiment 3000,
14

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
advantageously the heated water is used directly as the pond water to grow the
algae.
Cooler pond water, as for example from the bottom portion of the pond water,
is supplied
back directly to the cooling unit 70.
Reference may now be made to Figure 8 which exemplifies a further embodiment
4000 in accordance the present disclosure. The embodiment 4000 shown in Figure
8 is
similar to that shown in Figure 7, except that the pond water extracted from
the pond 320
through the filter 325 is passed through a cooling tower 600 to reduce the
temperature of the
circulating water before being supplied back directly to the cooling unit 70
of the data
center 100. In accordance with this embodiment 4000, advantageously the
circulating water
heated by the cooling unit 70 of the data center 100 is used directly as the
pond water to
grow the algae, and cooler water draw from the pond 320 is further cooled by
the cooling
tower 600 prior to being supplied back to the cooling unit 70.
Reference may now be made to Figures 9 and 10 which exemplify a further
embodiment 5000 in accordance the present disclosure. The embodiment 5000
includes the
data center 100, bio-gas power generator system 200, bio-oil power generator
system 300
and cooling tower 600 as previously described. The embodiment 5000
additionally includes
at least one fluid cooled photovoltaic thermal hybrid solar collector 500
(hereafter "PVT")
arranged along the coolant circulation path of the heat transfer system 400.
The PVT 500 includes a photovoltaic cell (PV cell) 510, which converts
electromagnetic radiation into electricity. The electricity generated by the
PV cell 510 is
supplied back to the IT equipment via power feed lines at the appropriate
power
requirements as a primary source of power for the data center 100. Conductive-
metal
piping or a plate chiller 520 is attached to the back of the PV cell 510 and
the coolant

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
circulating through the heat exchanger system 400 flows through the piping or
plate chiller
520 to remove waste heat from the PV cell 510. Preferably, insulation 530 is
provided to
reduce heat losses from the piping/chiller 520 to the ambient air. The heat
generated in the
PV cell 510 is conducted through the metal piping/chiller and absorbed by the
coolant
circulating through the metal piping/chiller to cool the PV cell 510. The
circulating fluid
being fitrther heated by the PV cell 510 then flows to the system 200 or 300
as a further
heated coolant for use as detailed above. The PVT 500 may be arranged at any
location
along the heat exchanger system 400 path. In accordance with this embodiment
5000,
advantageously use electricity can be generated while the circulating coolant
is further
heated, improving the driving efficiencies of the system 5000 as a whole.
Preferably the
outlet temperature of the coolant passing through the PVT is about 30 to 55
degree Celsius.
To the extent that a patentee may act as its own lexicographer under
applicable law,
it is hereby further directed that all words appearing in the claims section,
except for the
above defined words, shall take on their ordinary, plain and accustomed
meanings (as
generally evidenced, inter alia, by dictionaries and/or technical lexicons),
and shall not be
considered to be specially defined in this specification. Notwithstanding this
limitation on
the inference of "special definitions", the specification may be used to
evidence the
appropriate, ordinary, plain and accustomed meanings (as generally evidenced,
inter alia, by
dictionaries and/or technical lexicons), in the situation where a word or term
used in the
claims has more than one pre-established meaning and the specification is
helpful in
choosing between the alternatives.
Although this disclosure has described and illustrated certain preferred
embodiments
of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted
to these particular
16

CA 02824112 2013-08-16
embodiments. Rather, the invention includes all embodiments, which are
functional,
electrical or mechanical equivalents of the specific embodiments and features
that have
been described and illustrated herein.
It is to be further understood that the various features and embodiments of
the
invention disclosed may be combined or used in conjunction with other features
and
embodiments of the invention as described and illustrated herein.
17

Representative Drawing
A single figure which represents the drawing illustrating the invention.
Administrative Status

2024-08-01:As part of the Next Generation Patents (NGP) transition, the Canadian Patents Database (CPD) now contains a more detailed Event History, which replicates the Event Log of our new back-office solution.

Please note that "Inactive:" events refers to events no longer in use in our new back-office solution.

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Event History

Description Date
Classification Modified 2024-08-28
Inactive: IPC expired 2022-01-01
Time Limit for Reversal Expired 2016-08-17
Application Not Reinstated by Deadline 2016-08-17
Revocation of Agent Requirements Determined Compliant 2015-12-15
Inactive: Office letter 2015-12-15
Inactive: Office letter 2015-12-15
Revocation of Agent Request 2015-12-10
Deemed Abandoned - Failure to Respond to Maintenance Fee Notice 2015-08-17
Inactive: IPC deactivated 2014-05-17
Inactive: Cover page published 2014-02-24
Application Published (Open to Public Inspection) 2014-02-17
Revocation of Agent Requirements Determined Compliant 2014-02-04
Inactive: Office letter 2014-02-04
Inactive: Office letter 2014-02-04
Inactive: IPC from PCS 2014-02-01
Inactive: IPC expired 2014-01-01
Revocation of Agent Request 2013-12-19
Small Entity Declaration Request Received 2013-11-14
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-10-01
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-27
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-27
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-27
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-27
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-26
Inactive: First IPC assigned 2013-09-26
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-26
Inactive: IPC assigned 2013-09-26
Inactive: Filing certificate - No RFE (English) 2013-08-30
Filing Requirements Determined Compliant 2013-08-30
Application Received - Regular National 2013-08-26
Small Entity Declaration Determined Compliant 2013-08-16
Inactive: Pre-classification 2013-08-16

Abandonment History

Abandonment Date Reason Reinstatement Date
2015-08-17

Fee History

Fee Type Anniversary Year Due Date Paid Date
Application fee - small 2013-08-16
Owners on Record

Note: Records showing the ownership history in alphabetical order.

Current Owners on Record
MIRZA KAMALUDEEN
KUMARAN RATNAM
KARTHIGESU VIJAYASUGANTHAN
Past Owners on Record
None
Past Owners that do not appear in the "Owners on Record" listing will appear in other documentation within the application.
Documents

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Document
Description 
Date
(yyyy-mm-dd) 
Number of pages   Size of Image (KB) 
Cover Page 2014-02-24 1 43
Description 2013-08-16 17 706
Claims 2013-08-16 4 147
Drawings 2013-08-16 10 367
Abstract 2013-08-16 1 20
Representative drawing 2014-01-21 1 7
Filing Certificate (English) 2013-08-30 1 157
Reminder of maintenance fee due 2015-04-20 1 110
Courtesy - Abandonment Letter (Maintenance Fee) 2015-10-13 1 171
Second Notice: Maintenance Fee Reminder 2016-02-17 1 117
Notice: Maintenance Fee Reminder 2016-05-17 1 120
Correspondence 2013-11-14 2 83
Correspondence 2013-12-19 3 115
Correspondence 2014-02-04 1 12
Correspondence 2014-02-04 1 17
Change of agent 2015-12-10 2 68
Courtesy - Office Letter 2015-12-15 1 22
Courtesy - Office Letter 2015-12-15 1 32