Energy reclamation from fluid-moving systems

• US 9,284,850 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gardner, Brock Robert, Czamara, Michael Phillip
• Primary Examiner(s): Ta, Tho D
• Application Number:
  US13/659,644
• Time in Patent Office: 1,238 Days
• Field of Search: 290/52, 290/54
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/08 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, pumps
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 15/10 Adaptations for driving, or combinations with, electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: F01D 5/02 Blade-carrying members, e.g. rotors rotors of non-bladed type F01D1/34; stators F01D9/00 ; selecting particular materials F01D5/28
• CPC Class Codes: F03B 13/00 Adaptations of machines or engines for special use; Combinations of machines or engines with driving or driven apparatus if the apparatus aspects are predominant, see the relevant subclasses for such apparatus, e.g. H02K7/18; Power stations or aggregates incorporating only machines or engines of positive-displacement type F03C; hydraulic engineering aspects E02B; combinations with wind energy converters F03D9/008
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/20 within closed fluid conduits, e.g. pipes
• CPC Class Codes: F05B 2220/602 with energy recovery turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F05D 2220/30 in turbines
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 5/0035 using evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 7/20745 within rooms for removing heat from cabinets, e.g. by air conditioning device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 10/50 Hydropower in dwellings

Abstract

A system includes a building, a fluid-moving system, and a turbine system. The fluid-moving system includes one or more conduits in or coupled to the data center and a pump. The pump moves fluid through the conduits. The turbine system includes a turbine and generator. The turbine has a runner in a flow of fluid in one of the conduits. The generator produces electricity from rotation of the runner.

Claims

1. A data center, comprising:

a computing room;

a plurality of computing devices in the computing room;

a cooling system configured to remove heat from one or more of the plurality of computing devices in the computing room comprising;

a fluid-moving system, comprising;

one or more conduits in or coupled to the data center, wherein the one or more conduits are configured to convey liquid from an elevated reservoir to another location at an elevation that is less than an elevation of the elevated reservoir; and

a pump configured to move fluid through at least one of one or more other conduits; and

a turbine system, comprising;

a turbine comprising one or more runners in a flow of fluid in at least one of the conduits that convey liquid from the elevated reservoir to the other location at the elevation that is less than the elevation of the elevated reservoir, wherein a difference in elevation between the elevated reservoir and the other location results in the flow of the liquid from the elevated reservoir to the other location, wherein an outlet of the elevated reservoir is located in the flow of fluid between an outlet of the pump and an inlet of the turbine; and

a generator configured to produce electricity from rotation of at least one of the runners in the flow of liquid.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid-moving system is part of a cooling system for the building.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising an electrical energy storage device coupled to the generator and configured to store electrical energy produced by the generator, wherein the electrical energy storage device is configured to supply electrical power to the liquid-moving system and/or at least one of the computing devices, wherein the electrical energy storage device is configured to supply back-up power produced by the turbine system to the fluid-moving system or at least one of the computing devices.

4. A system, comprising:

a building;

a fluid-moving system, comprising;

one or more conduits at least partially in the building, wherein the one or more conduits are configured to convey fluid from an elevated reservoir to another location at an elevation that is less than the elevation of the elevated reservoir; and

a pump configured to move fluid through at least one of one or more other conduits; and

a turbine system configured to reclaim a portion of the potential energy of the fluid in the elevated reservoir, comprising;

a turbine comprising one or more runners in a flow of fluid in at least one of the conduits from the elevated reservoir to the other location at an elevation that is less than the elevation of the elevated reservoir, wherein an outlet of the elevated reservoir is located in the flow of fluid between an outlet of the pump and an inlet of the turbine; and

a generator configured to produce electricity from rotation of at least one of the runners.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising an electrical energy storage device coupled to the generator and configured to store electrical energy produced by the generator, wherein the electrical energy storage device is configured to supply electrical power produced by the turbine system to one or more electrical systems in the building.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the fluid-moving system is configured to move water condensed from utility steam, wherein the turbine system is configured to produce electricity from the flow of the water condensed from the steam in the fluid-moving system.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the turbine system is configured to supply electrical power to the pump of the fluid-moving system.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the turbine system is configured to supply back-up electrical power to components in the building.

9. The system of claim 4, further comprising a data center in the building, wherein the data center comprises a plurality of computing devices, wherein the turbine system is configured to supply electrical power to at least one of the computing devices.

10. The system of claim 4, wherein the turbine system is configured to supplement electrical power from one or more other electrical power sources.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein the fluid-moving system comprises a bypass line configured to bypass the turbine system.

12. The system of claim 4, wherein the system comprises a variable flow device, wherein the variable flow device is configured to vary the size of a passage in the conduit to alter the flow of fluid at the intake inlet of the turbine.

13. The system of claim 4, wherein the turbine comprises a counter-rotating set of two or more runners.

14. The system of claim 4, wherein the turbine system comprises a runner-driven generator on the periphery of one of the conduits.

15. The system of claim 4, further comprising a protective screen device in at least one of the conduits, wherein the protective screen device is upstream from at least one of the runners of the turbine.

16. The system of claim 4, wherein the fluid-moving system is part of a cooling system for the building.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the fluid-moving system comprises a cooling tower, wherein the cooling tower is at a higher elevation than the turbine.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the turbine system is configured to supply electrical power to components of the cooling system.

19. A method of generating power, comprising:

receiving a flow of fluid in a conduit passing through a building data center into an intake of a turbine system, wherein the fluid in the conduit is flowing from an elevated reservoir of the data center to another location at an elevation that is less than an elevation of the elevated reservoir, wherein an outlet of the elevated reservoir is located in the flow of fluid between an outlet of a pump that moves the fluid to the elevated reservoir and an inlet of the turbine system;

generating electricity from a flow of the fluid through or across at least a portion of a runner of the turbine system, wherein potential energy of the fluid flowing from the elevated reservoir is converted to electrical power; and

transmitting the electrical power from the turbine system.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising charging at least one electrical energy storage device in the data center using electricity generated form the flow of the fluid.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising supplying electrical power from the electrical energy storage device to components of a cooling system.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising supplying reserve power to components of a cooling system or computing devices using electricity generated from the flow of the fluid.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein generating electricity from the flow of fluid comprises dropping a liquid through one or more conduits in the data center.

24. The method claim 19, further comprising varying the size of a passage to control flow at an intake of the turbine system.

25. The method claim 19, further comprising supplying electrical power generated by the turbine system to the pump.