WO2021023923A1

WO2021023923A1 - Heat recovery system and method

Info

Publication number: WO2021023923A1
Application number: PCT/FR2020/051366
Authority: WO
Inventors: Loïc GORKA; Jonathan Klein; Guillaume HOFF; Bertrand P GUILLEMOT; Denis H BERTHET
Original assignee: Tresorio; Dalkia France
Priority date: 2019-08-07
Filing date: 2020-07-24
Publication date: 2021-02-11
Also published as: FR3099814A1; LU102768B1; EP4010779A1; FR3099814B1; LU102768A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a heat recovery system (10) comprising an enclosure (12) designed to receive at least part (23i) of a heat producing assembly (20) such as an electronic or computer assembly, the system further comprising a hydraulic cooling system (30) for cooling the heat producing assembly (20), designed to transmit the heat recovered by a heat transfer fluid on the heat producing assembly (20) to a thermal module (50), and an auxiliary recovery device (40) designed to transmit, to the thermal module (50), the heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure (12).

Description

Heat recovery installation and process

Technical area

[0001] This presentation concerns the field of energy, and more particularly the production and recovery of heat. The present disclosure relates in particular to an installation and a method for recovering heat, the heat thus recovered being able to be reused, for example for domestic, collective or industrial purposes.

Prior art

[0002] In recent years, the development of computer server units and computer centers has been accompanied by the establishment of large complexes housing several tens, hundreds, or even thousands of computing units and computer systems. The cooling of these systems, previously managed locally and on a small scale, has naturally become a problem to be dealt with globally in view of the considerable electrical consumption and therefore the large quantities of heat to be removed.

[0003] In parallel, ecological and economic concerns encourage the recovery of calories which would otherwise be lost. From this perspective, patent application FR 3 015 645 A1 discloses a heating device in which a computer server is immersed in a tank containing a liquid to be heated. However, both this configuration and the other attempts that have been made in this area can still be improved, particularly from the point of view of installation constraints and energy efficiency. There is therefore a need for a new type of heat recovery installation.

Disclosure of the invention

[0004] To this end, the present disclosure relates to a heat recovery installation, comprising an enclosure configured to receive at least a part of a heat-producing assembly such as an electronic or computer assembly, the installation further comprising a hydraulic system for cooling the heat-producing assembly, configured to transmit the heat recovered by a coolant to the producing assembly heat to a thermal module, and an auxiliary recovery device configured to transmit heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure to the thermal module.

[0005] Within the meaning of the present disclosure, a heat-producing assembly is an assembly whose operation produces thermal energy. This thermal energy must generally be dissipated; we are trying to recover it. By recovering, within the meaning of the present disclosure, is meant to collect at least part of the heat, which would otherwise be lost, in order to reuse it.

[0006] The enclosure designates any closed or quasi-closed part. The enclosure can be completely or partially sealed, in particular gas-tight. The enclosure aims to limit heat exchange, particularly by convection and radiation, between the interior of the enclosure and the exterior of the enclosure. The enclosure can be a case, a housing, a container, a computer cabinet; in particular, the enclosure can be movable, portable or mobile. At least part of the heat-producing assembly, if not all of the heat-producing assembly, is inside the enclosure. In addition, the auxiliary recovery device can also be located inside the enclosure. In the event that the enclosure comprises a plurality of compartments, it is understood that said part and the auxiliary recovery device are in the same compartment, or in any case arranged so that said part heats the air from which the auxiliary recovery device recovers. the heat.

[0007] The hydraulic cooling system is designed to cool the heat-producing assembly, that is to say recovering the heat produced by the heat-producing assembly and transmitting it, in this case to the thermal module. More precisely, the heat is recovered and transmitted by a heat transfer fluid, here a liquid, circulating in the hydraulic cooling system. In general, by hydraulic is meant using a fluid in the liquid state. [0008] The hydraulic cooling system provides the main cooling of the heat-producing assembly. To this end, the heat-producing assembly may be in contact with the hydraulic cooling system, or even the hydraulic cooling system may be integrated at least in part into the heat-producing assembly. Thus, in certain embodiments, the heat transfer fluid can circulate in a first section of the hydraulic cooling system, internal to the heat-producing assembly, then pass into a second section of the hydraulic cooling system, external to the producing assembly. heat. For example, the hydraulic cooling system may comprise a circuit, also called a recovery circuit, said circuit possibly being closed, passing through the heat-producing assembly and the thermal module, and in which the heat transfer fluid circulates.

[0009] The thermal module may include one or more devices providing a heat exchange function, so that the thermal module is able to recover the heat which is transmitted to it by the heat transfer fluid via the hydraulic cooling system. Despite its name, the thermal module can include a converter configured to convert the heat supplied by the hydraulic cooling system and / or by the auxiliary recovery device into another form of energy.

The auxiliary recovery device is a separate device from the hydraulic cooling system. The auxiliary recovery device is able to recover the heat from the air inside the enclosure and to transmit the heat thus recovered to the thermal module, for example via the hydraulic cooling system, in which case the installation comprises a single hydraulic circuit, or via another heat transmission system.

[0011] Thanks to such a heat recovery installation, the heat produced by the heat-producing assembly is recovered in the first place by direct heating of the heat transfer fluid. The residual heat emitted by the part which is located in the enclosure, and which is not recovered by the hydraulic cooling system, is nevertheless recovered, secondly, by the auxiliary recovery device. Thus, the installation advantageously combines recovery by a liquid and recovery by air, which increases its performance. In addition, the installation remains simple insofar as the heat recovered by the hydraulic cooling system and the heat recovered by the auxiliary recovery device are transmitted to the same thermal module.

[0012] In some embodiments, the enclosure is configured to receive at least a first part of the heat producing assembly, such as a power supply, and the hydraulic cooling system is configured to cool at least a second part of the heat-producing assembly, such as an electronic or computer processing unit.

[0013] In general, electronic or computer processing units, such as computers and computing servers, have their own cooling with water or by means of another fluid. However, such cooling is not generally available on the power supplies of these computers and servers. Thus, by housing the electrical power supplies in the enclosure, or more generally a first part of the heat-producing assembly, it is possible to recover the heat produced by this first part even if it is not cooled by the heat transfer fluid. .

In certain embodiments, the thermal module is configured to remove the heat transmitted to it to a consumption circuit. A consumption circuit is a heat consumption circuit or more broadly energy consumption. Such a consumption circuit can be used for many applications, for example: heating an industrial process, heating a building, heating water for a swimming pool or a basin, heating domestic hot water, etc. The consumption circuit can be a hydraulic circuit.

[0015] In some embodiments, the thermal module comprises at least one heat exchanger. The heat exchanger can be provided to exchange heat between the hydraulic cooling system, more precisely the coolant, and the consumption circuit.

[0016] In certain embodiments, the thermal module comprises at least one storage tank. The storage tank can be configured to store energy, in particular thermal energy, for example in the form of fluid coolant (or other fluid) at a certain temperature. The storage tank is used to store or deliver calories to compensate for the difference between the heat received by the thermal module, in particular from the hydraulic cooling system and the auxiliary recovery device, and the energy evacuated or supplied by the module thermal, for example to the consumption circuit. The storage tank can be a laminated storage tank, an example of which will be described in more detail later.

[0017] In some embodiments, the auxiliary recovery device comprises at least one of an air heater, a heat exchanger and a heat pump. A fan heater is the assembly of a fan and a liquid-air exchanger. A heat exchanger can be a liquid-air or gas-air exchanger. A heat pump is a device for transmitting thermal energy from a cold source to a hot source, cooling the cold source and heating the hot source.

In some embodiments, the hydraulic cooling system comprises a recovery circuit provided with at least one pump and / or at least one valve, and the heat recovery installation comprises a configured control unit to control the state of said pump and / or said valve. By valve, we mean both a valve itself and a valve, a flap, a valve, etc. The control unit makes it possible, by controlling the state of at least one pump and / or a valve, to regulate the heat recovery according to the heat production by the heat producing assembly and the evacuation or storage of heat by the thermal module. The regulation can be more or less fine depending on the number of pumps and valves in the recovery circuit.

In certain embodiments, the hydraulic cooling system is configured to allow the circulation of the heat transfer fluid by natural convection. In these embodiments, there may be provided a control unit configured to control the thermal power supplied to and / or taken from the hydraulic cooling system, therefore the temperature difference between its relatively hot part and its part. relatively cold, therefore the flow rate of the heat transfer fluid resulting from natural convection.

[0020] In some embodiments, the enclosure is provided with an internal structure configured to promote recovery of heat from the air by the auxiliary recovery device. For example, the internal structure of the enclosure can be configured to limit local recirculation of air within the enclosure. Alternatively or in addition, the internal structure of the enclosure can be configured to cause an accumulation of relatively hot air near the heat recovery device. Alternatively or in addition, the internal structure can be configured to limit and / or eliminate unwanted air circulation between the components. Alternatively or in addition, the internal structure can be configured to define within the enclosure at least one relatively cold air zone and at least one relatively hot air zone, separated from each other. Alternatively or in addition, the internal structure can be configured to channel the air circulation between these zones to improve heat capture by the relatively cold air the part of the heat-producing assembly which is located inside the unit. the enclosure, and to return this relatively hot air (heated cold air) to the auxiliary recovery device.

[0021] In some embodiments, the enclosure is provided with thermal insulation means to limit heat exchange through the walls of the enclosure. As indicated above, it is desirable to limit the heat losses to the outside of the enclosure, that is to say the evacuation of heat with the exception of that recovered by the auxiliary recovery device or even by the hydraulic cooling system, in particular by convection or radiation.

This disclosure also relates to a process for recovering the heat produced by a heat-producing assembly such as an electronic or computer assembly, at least part of said assembly being received in an enclosure, the process comprising the transmission, to a thermal module, the heat recovered from said assembly by a heat transfer fluid circulating in a hydraulic cooling system, and the transmission to the thermal module of the heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure by an auxiliary recovery device. This process can be implemented by means of the heat recovery installation described above.

In some embodiments, the thermal module comprises at least one storage tank and at least one heat exchanger configured to exchange the heat of the coolant with a consumption circuit, and the flows from and to the storage tank are adapted according to the difference between the power consumed by the consumption circuit and the thermal power transmitted to the thermal module from the heat-producing assembly. The adaptation can be carried out by the control unit described above, possibly in combination with pumps, valves and / or other hydraulic components. The thermal power transmitted to the thermal module from the heat-producing assembly can cover the thermal power recovered by the hydraulic cooling system and the thermal power recovered by the auxiliary recovery device.

Brief description of the drawings

[0024] The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following detailed description of embodiments given by way of non-limiting examples. This description refers to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0025] [Fig. 1] Figure 1, or single figure, is a diagram showing a heat recovery installation according to one embodiment.

Description of embodiments

Figure 1 schematically illustrates a heat recovery installation 10 (also called "installation 10") according to one embodiment. The installation 10 comprises an enclosure 12. In this case, the enclosure 12 takes a form similar to an electrical or computer cabinet, sometimes designated by the English term “cabinet”. According to one example, the enclosure 12 can be formed by the walls of a computer bay. The enclosure 12 may have a format which makes it suitable for being moved and / or for being installed in a room or a room. The enclosure 12 is configured to isolate the interior 14 of the enclosure 12 from the environment 16 outside the enclosure, in particular to limit the entry and exit of air as well as radiation. For example, the enclosure 12 can be provided with thermal insulation means 18 to limit the heat exchanges through the walls of the enclosure 12. In this case, the thermal insulation means can be foams for example with neoprene or glass base, glass wool or rock wool, or any material considered suitable by those skilled in the art. For example, the thermal insulation means 18 can be provided in the form of panels fixed to the wall of the enclosure 12.

As indicated above, the enclosure 12 is configured to receive at least part of a heat-producing assembly 20. In this case, as illustrated in Figure 1, the entire heat-producing assembly 20 is housed inside the enclosure 12.

In this embodiment, the heat producer assembly 20 comprises at least one rack or plate, here a plurality of racks 22a, 22b, ..., 22m. A first rack 22a comprises a power supply 23a and at least one electronic or computer processing unit, in this case n computer cards (or more simply cards) 22a1, 22a2, ..., 22an. A second rack 22b comprises a power supply 23b and at least one electronic or computer processing unit, in this case n computer cards 22b1, 22b2, ..., 22bn. A 22m m-th rack includes a 23m power supply and at least one electronic or computer processing unit, in this case n 22m1, 22m2, ..., 22mn computer cards. In the general case, an i-th rack 22i is indexed by the index i. The 23i power supply from a 22i rack powers the 22i1, 22i2, ..., 22in cards in that rack.

Although, in this embodiment, the racks 22i are similar to each other, the heat producing assembly 20 could have a different configuration. For example, the computer cards 22a1, 22a2, ..., 22an, 22b1, 22b2, ..., 22bn, 22m1, 22m2, ..., 22mn (hereinafter abbreviated as 22ij, i being the index designating the rack and the index designating the computer card) may not be organized in racks; the number of power supplies may not match the number of racks; the racks 22i could have a number n of computer cards different from each other; computer cards 22ij can be identical to each other or different from each other, within the same rack and / or from one rack to another.

The 22ij computer cards can be used for any computer processing, for example data storage, calculation processing, blockchain mining calculations, etc.

During their operation, the power supplies 23i as well as the computer cards contained in the racks 22i emit heat, which comes from the losses by Joule effect within their components. Therefore, the assembly 20 does indeed form a heat-producing assembly, and more particularly a computer assembly. However, this discussion also applies to other examples of heat producing assemblies.

It is noted that, in this embodiment, the enclosure 12 receives at least a first part of the heat-producing assembly 20, namely the power supplies 23i. In this case, the enclosure 12 receives, in addition, the electronic or computer processing units formed by the computer cards 22ij. However, 22ij computer cards could be provided outside of enclosure 12.

As indicated above, the installation 10 further comprises a hydraulic cooling system 30 of the heat-producing assembly 20. In this embodiment, the hydraulic cooling system 30 comprises a circuit 32 (or recovery circuit 32) in which circulates a heat transfer fluid in the liquid state, for example water, with or without adjuvant, or any other fluid suitable for the transport of thermal energy with or without change of state. The pressure of the fluid in the circuit 32 may be of the order of a few bars, for example less than or equal to 3 bars. A pressure sensor (not illustrated) may be provided on circuit 32 in order to detect any leak or overpressure.

The circuit 32 here comprises a first branch, called hot branch 32c (in solid line), and a second branch, called cold branch 32f (in thin line). The temperature of the coolant in the hot leg 32c is higher than its temperature in the cold leg 32f. In FIG. 1, the direction of circulation of the heat transfer fluid in these branches is represented by arrows. In this presentation, the terms hot and cold are to be understood in a relative sense.

As shown in Figure 1, the circuit 32 passes through each of the racks 22i. Within each rack, the circuit 32 passes through each of the cards 22ij. Thus, the circuit 32, and more generally the hydraulic cooling system 30, is at least partially integrated into the heat-producing assembly 20. In addition, the hydraulic cooling system 30, here, the circuit 32, is configured to cooling at least a second part of the heat-producing assembly 20, here the cards 22ij. Note that the circuit 32 does not go through the power supplies 23i. However, according to a variant, the circuit 32 could pass through the power supplies 23i.

In this embodiment, the racks 22a-22m are mounted in parallel with respect to each other on the circuit 32. Conversely, within each rack, the cards 22a1-22an, 22b1-22bn and 22m1-22mn are mounted in series with respect to each other on the circuit 32. More generally, the mounting of the cards 22ij and the racks 22i can be carried out in series or in parallel depending on the desired heat exchange with the heat transfer fluid. A series connection allows a relatively small amount of fluid to be heated further. A parallel connection makes it possible to heat a large quantity of fluid but at a lower temperature.

[0037] The hydraulic cooling system 30 comprises, in addition to the recovery circuit 32, at least one pump and / or at least one valve. In this case, two pumps 33, 34 are provided on the recovery circuit 32. The pumps 33, 34 are known as such and can be selected by those skilled in the art according to the dimensioning of the hydraulic cooling system 30. For example, independently of one another, each pump 33, 34 may or may not be a variable speed pump. The pump 33 is shown here inside the thermal module 50, but it could be provided outside.

Furthermore, valves and / or self-sealing valve connectors can be provided to isolate each rack 22i from the rest of the circuit 32. More specifically, the cold branch 32f entering each rack and the branch hot 32c leaving each rack can each be provided with such a connector or valve. After having closed the connectors or valves corresponding to the same rack 22i, it is possible to disconnect this rack 22i from the circuit 32, or at least one of the cards 22ij, for example for electronic, computer or hydraulic maintenance purposes. It is possible to provide such connectors or valves at the inlet and / or at the outlet of some or each component, for example of each card 22ij. If the components are mounted at least in part in series with respect to each other, as is the case here with 22a1-22an, 22b1-22bn and 22m1-22mn boards within each rack, it is possible to provide in addition to the bypass lines so that the interruption of the passage in a card 22ij does not interrupt the circulation in the whole of the hydraulic cooling system 30.

In the case where valves are provided, they can also be used to modulate the flow of heat transfer fluid passing through each rack 22i, in particular if the thermal power released by each set of cards 22a1 -22an, 22b1 -22bn and 22m1 -22mn is not the same from one 22i rack to another.

The installation 10 also comprises a thermal module 50. As indicated above, the hydraulic cooling system 30 of the heat-producing assembly 20 is configured to transmit the heat recovered by the heat transfer fluid to the heat-producing assembly. heat 20 to the thermal module 50. As can be seen from FIG. 1, the hot branch 32c arrives at the thermal module 50 and the cold branch 32f leaves there again.

In this embodiment, the thermal module 50 is configured to remove the heat which is transmitted to it to a consumption circuit 60. In this case, the consumption circuit 60 is a domestic heating water circuit or a domestic hot water circuit. However, other consumption circuits can be provided, including non-hydraulic circuits.

To allow the exchange between the thermal module 50 and the consumption circuit 60, the thermal module 50 can include at least one heat exchanger 52, in this case a liquid-liquid exchanger. Such an exchanger is known per se to those skilled in the art. Here, the heat exchanger is mounted directly on the circuit 32. The heat exchanger 52, and more generally the thermal module 50, isolates the circuit 32 from the consumption circuit 60.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the thermal module 50 comprises at least one storage tank 54. The storage tank 54 forms a reservoir of heat transfer fluid, capable of accumulating a certain amount of said fluid. In this embodiment, the storage tank 54 is mounted on the circuit 32 in parallel with the heat exchanger 52. The storage tank can act as a buffer between the outlet of the heat exchanger 52 and the inlet of the heat exchanger. circuit 32, in order to stabilize the temperature of the fluid at the inlet of circuit 32; to do this, as illustrated in the figure, the outlet of the heat exchanger 52 is connected to an inlet of the storage tank 54.

The storage tank 54 may be a so-called "stratified" or "stratified" balloon, in which the heat transfer fluid is stored in the form of layers which are substantially homogeneous in temperature, in order to limit heat exchanges within the tank itself; there is generally a hot layer at the top, a cold layer at the bottom, these layers being separated by a layer at intermediate temperature. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the circuit 32 comprises several connections to the storage tank 54, namely a hot fluid inlet, preferably connected to an upper part of the storage tank 54, a hot fluid outlet, preferably connected to an upper part of the storage tank 54, a cold fluid inlet, preferably connected to a lower part of the storage tank 54, a cold fluid outlet, preferably connected to a lower part of the storage tank 54 (which lower part preferably stores a fluid at a temperature as low as possible in order to always be able to effectively cool the heat-producing assembly 20), and an intermediate temperature fluid inlet, preferably connected to a part storage tank 54. Generally, storage tank 54 could have only some of these inlets and outlets, or more inlets and outlets. . The pump 34, here mounted on the cold fluid outlet, can be actuated, for example in combination with one or more three-way valves 37, in order to fill the storage tank with relatively hot heat transfer fluid and deliver relatively cold fluid to the circuit. 32, or on the contrary fill the balloon with storage of relatively cold coolant and deliver relatively hot fluid to circuit 32.

[0045] Furthermore, the heat recovery installation 10 may include a control unit 38 configured to control the state of pumps 33, 34, valves 37 and any other valves. The control unit 38 makes it possible, among other things, to control the distribution and flow rate of the coolant in the hydraulic cooling system 30 according to the desired operating point, as will be detailed below. If necessary, the control unit 38 can, moreover, make it possible to limit the flow rate at the inlets and / or outlets of the storage tank 54 in order to limit the phenomena of forced convection inside the storage tank 54 and preserve its layered character. In addition, the control unit 38 can also control the thermal power produced by the heat-producing assembly 20, for example by controlling the operating rate of the heat-producing assembly 20. Thus, in the case of computer cards or equivalent, the control unit 38 can impose a maximum operating rate as a function of the instantaneous or expected cost of the energy which supplies them, of the demand for computer computing capacity, and / or of the level of energy load of the device. storage tank 54 (for example its average temperature), etc.

The installation 10 also comprises an auxiliary recovery device 40. The auxiliary recovery device 40 is configured to transmit to the thermal module 50 the heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure 12. Thus, the auxiliary recovery device 40 is suitable for recovering heat from the air inside the enclosure 12; to do this, the auxiliary recovery device 40 is provided here inside the enclosure 12. For example, the auxiliary recovery device 40 can be a heat pump (hereinafter “heat pump 40”, without loss of generality), in this case an air-water heat pump. Such a heat pump is known per se to those skilled in the art. For example, in steady state, the heat pump 40 can deliver a heat transfer fluid at about 60 ° C for an atmosphere in the chamber 12 of the order of 40 ° C.

The heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure 12 by the heat pump 40 is transmitted to a heat transfer fluid, which circulates from and to the thermal module 50. In general, this heat transfer fluid may be different from the heat transfer fluid of the hydraulic cooling system 30. However, in this embodiment, the heat pump 40 transmits to the thermal module 50 the heat recovered from the air at inside the enclosure 12 via the hydraulic cooling system 30. In other words, the heat pump 40 is hydraulically connected to the hydraulic cooling system 30, and more particularly to its circuit 32. As it emerges from the FIG. 1, the cold branch 32c in fact supplies the heat pump 40, which supplies a coolant at increased temperature to the hot branch 32c. Valves can also be provided at the terminals of the heat pump 40, for the same reasons as those mentioned above.

As indicated above, the enclosure 12 may be provided with an internal structure configured to promote the recovery of heat from the air by the auxiliary recovery device 40. In this embodiment, said internal structure comprises a wall 42 dividing the interior 14 of the enclosure 12 into a relatively cold air zone and a relatively hot air zone. The auxiliary recovery device 40 is configured to draw relatively cold air from one side of the wall 42 and discharge it relatively warm on the other side of the wall 42. Conversely, the relatively cold air can be guided, from one side of the wall 42, towards the racks 22i, or at least in contact with the power supplies 23i, and come out warmed on the other side of the wall 42.

In this case, the wall 42 comprises elements, composed of suitable materials, flexible or rigid, which prevent the uncontrolled circulation of air flow by ensuring a relative seal between the different components, in particular between the different racks 22i between them and between the racks 22i and the enclosure 12. The circulation of the air flows can be ensured by one or more fans which may or may not be integrated into the various components mentioned above. Typically, the internal structure can include a fan 44, here mounted at the air outlet of the auxiliary recovery device 40. The fan 44 can forced the air inside the enclosure 12. Independently, one or more several fans 24a, 24b, 24i, ..., 24m can be provided in one or more rack 22i, in particular, as illustrated, on the side of the air outlet of each rack 22i. In some configurations, however, the air circulation could be provided by natural convection. In the example of FIG. 1, the air circulates in parallel through the various racks 22i.

In operation, the installation 10 makes it possible to recover the heat produced by the heat-producing assembly 20. The coolant circulating in the hydraulic cooling system 30 transmits the heat recovered on said assembly 20 to the thermal module, and the heat pump 40 transmits the heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure 12 to the thermal module 50, here via the hydraulic cooling system 30. The flow rate and the temperature of the fluids arriving at and leaving the thermal module 50 can be regulated using the control unit 38 and the hydraulic components of the hydraulic cooling system 30.

Typically, as a function of measured temperatures (for example by sensors not shown and known to those skilled in the art) in the enclosure 12, and / or on the heat-producing assembly 20, and / or in the hydraulic cooling system 30, the control unit 38 can control the pump 34 so that the flow in the hydraulic cooling system 30 provides the desired level of cooling for the boards 22ij and / or the power supplies 23i. In one example, the control unit 38 can be configured to stop circulation in the hydraulic cooling system 30 when no 22ij card is in operation.

Furthermore, the flows from and to the storage tank 54 can be adapted according to the difference between the power consumed by the consumption circuit 60 and the thermal power transmitted to the thermal module 50 from the heat producing assembly 20. The power difference can be quantified by a temperature difference between the outlet of the heat exchanger 52 and the outlet of the circuit 32, or else as a difference between one and / or the other of these temperatures and a or more set temperatures. When the consumption circuit 60 requires more heat than the thermal module 50 recovers, the control unit 38 can actuate the pump 33 and / or the valves 37 to drive the flow into the storage tank 54 in the direction hot water destocking and cold water storage. Conversely, when the consumption circuit 60 requires less heat than is recovered by the thermal module 50, the excess heat can be stored in the storage tank 54, for example by actuating the pump 33 and / or the valves 37 in the direction of a flow of hot water towards the storage tank 54 and of a flow of cold water from the tank storage 54.

The regulation of the flow from and to the storage tank 54 by the control unit 38 can take other parameters into account. For example, the control unit 38 can be configured to take into account the electrical consumption of all or part of the heat-producing assembly 20, whether this is measured directly or known indirectly, for example as a function of time slots. of high consumption. In fact, knowing the electrical consumption of the heat-producing assembly 20 makes it possible to anticipate the variations in thermal power that it gives off. The control unit 38 can therefore control the pump 33 and / or the valves 37 accordingly. For example, in the event of an increase in electrical consumption, the control unit 38 can increase the flow in the hydraulic cooling system 30 in order to avoid overheating of the heat-producing assembly 20, typically overheating of the cards. IT 22ij.

[0054] Although the present description refers to specific embodiments, modifications can be made to these examples without departing from the general scope of the invention as defined by the claims. For example, although the auxiliary recovery device 40 has been shown in a configuration in which it is connected to the hydraulic cooling system 30, so that the installation 10 comprises a single hydraulic circuit 32, in other embodiments , the auxiliary recovery device 40 can be connected directly to the thermal module 50, for example to the storage tank 54, by a circuit independent of the circuit 32. In this case, the auxiliary recovery device 40 can have common inputs / outputs or different from those provided for the circuit 32. For example, it is possible to provide the injection of relatively hot coolant at an intermediate point of the storage tank 54, to alleviate the fact that the heat pump 40, and a fortiori a unit heater, generally returns a cooler fluid than the hydraulic cooling system 30. The organization, the arrangement, the number, the parameters and the characteristics of the various electronic, computer and hydraulic components can be adapted by the person skilled in the art according to the service performed by the heat-producing assembly 20, typically an IT service, and the expected consumption via the consumption circuit 60.

[0056] Although some components have been described, one skilled in the art will understand that other components known per se, such as expansion vessels, sensors, etc., can be added as needed.

[0057] More generally, individual characteristics of the different embodiments illustrated / mentioned can be combined in additional embodiments. Therefore, the description and the drawings should be taken in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

Claims

[Claim 1] Heat recovery installation (10), comprising an enclosure (12) configured to receive at least a part (23i) of a heat producing assembly (20) such as an electronic or computer assembly, the installation further comprising a hydraulic cooling system (30) of the heat-producing assembly (20), configured to transmit the heat recovered by a heat transfer fluid on the heat-producing assembly (20) to a thermal module (50) , and an auxiliary recovery device (40) configured to transmit to the thermal module (50) the heat recovered from the air inside the enclosure (12), in which the thermal module (50) comprises at least one storage tank (54) and at least one heat exchanger (52) configured to exchange the heat of the coolant with a consumption circuit (60), and the heat recovery installation (10) is configured to adapt the flows from and to the balloon d e storage (54) as a function of the difference between the power consumed by the consumption circuit (60) and the thermal power transmitted to the thermal module (50) from the heat-producing assembly (20).

[Claim 2] A heat recovery installation according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure (12) is configured to receive at least a first part of the heat producing assembly, such as a power supply (23i), and the hydraulic cooling system (30) is configured to cool at least a second part of the heat producing assembly, such as an electronic or computer processing unit (22ij).

[Claim 3] A heat recovery installation according to claim 1 or 2, in which the thermal module (50) is configured to remove the heat transmitted to it to a consumption circuit (60).

[Claim 4] A heat recovery device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heat recovery device Auxiliary recovery (40) comprises at least one of an air heater, a heat exchanger and a heat pump.

[Claim 5] A heat recovery installation according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the hydraulic cooling system (30) comprises a recovery circuit (32) provided with at least one pump (33, 34) and / or at least one valve (37), and the heat recovery installation comprises a control unit (38) configured to control the state of said pump (33, 34) and / or said valve ( 37).

[Claim 6] A heat recovery installation according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the enclosure (12) is provided with an internal structure configured to promote recovery of heat from the air by the device. auxiliary recovery (40).

[Claim 7] A heat recovery installation according to any one of claims 1 to 6, in which the enclosure (12) is provided with thermal insulation means (18) to limit heat exchange through the walls of the 'enclosure (12).

[Claim 8] A method of recovering heat produced by a heat producing assembly (20) such as an electronic or computer assembly, at least a portion of said assembly (20) being received in an enclosure (12), the method comprising the transmission, to a thermal module (50), of the heat recovered from said assembly (20) by a heat transfer fluid circulating in a hydraulic cooling system (30), and the transmission to the thermal module (50) of the heat recovered from air inside the enclosure (12) by an auxiliary recovery device (40), in which the thermal module (50) comprises at least one storage tank (54) and at least one heat exchanger ( 52) configured to exchange the heat of the coolant with a consumption circuit (60), and in which the flows from and to the storage tank (54) are adapted according to the difference between the power consumed by the consumption circuit (60) and the power thermal ance transmitted to the thermal module (50) from the heat-producing assembly (20). !