Comment by matt-p

4 hours ago

Yes, but the heat will still likely need boosting by about a further 10 degrees either at the source or end user.

DC inlet is 45°C, outlet is 55°C assuming a 10°C ΔT. By the time that's travelled 500m–1km through pipework you've lost a few degrees, so you're arriving at the HIU at maybe 50–52°C. The home radiator circuit then takes that down by around say 12°C, returning ~38°C. Factor in pipe losses on the return leg and you're back at the data centre with maybe 35°C inlet rather than 45°C — meaning the DC output is now only 45°C rather than 55°C, and the whole system gradually degrades each cycle. You could address this by mixing some hot output back into the return to keep the DC inlet stable at 45°C, but eh.

>Factor in pipe losses on the return leg and you're back at the data centre with maybe 35°C inlet rather than 45°C

Surely having the input fluid being colder is a benefit, not a problem? Just run the fluid more slowly through the system?

  • In essence you can't really because slower flow rate makes the heat transfer less efficient. You'd be halfing the flow rate in that example.