Small Infinity Turbines will turn data center heat into electricity

Infinity Turbine introduced the Cluster Mesh Power Generation System, which converts heat from AI data center servers into electricity. Datacenter Dynamics reports that the new product will generate “clean”, eco-friendly electricity that can be immediately used on site, and will also reduce the data center’s need for water for cooling.

The system integrates small modular ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) turbines using supercritical fluid CO2 as a working fluid into a mesh network, thereby ensuring scalability, reliability and high efficiency, the company says. Each turbine generator requires 100 thousand BTU (British thermal unit) heat to produce up to 5 kW of electricity.

Image source: Infinity Turbine

According to the company’s calculations, a complex of 600 turbines can discharge 60 million BTU/hour, generate up to 3 MW and save up to 108 thousand liters/hour (at the rate of 1.8 liters per 100 thousand BTU). And annual savings on water costs can reach almost $1.9 million (based on $2 for every m3). However, it is not yet known whether the Cluster Mesh Power Generation System was used in at least one data center.

The company acknowledges that the initial installation costs of its solution will be higher than with traditional cooling and heat capture systems, but it will pay off in the long run. In addition, to achieve efficiency and stability in a turbine mesh network, an advanced control system is required. On the other hand, each turbine operates independently of the others, which simplifies the maintenance and repair process.