Articles tagged with "thermal-energy"
World's largest particle accelerator heats thousands of homes in France
Since mid-January, CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world’s largest particle accelerator, has been supplying heat to thousands of homes and businesses in the French town of Ferney-Voltaire. This initiative uses a newly activated heat-exchange system that captures waste heat from the accelerator’s cooling circuits and feeds it into the town’s district heating network. By repurposing the hot water that would normally be cooled and released into the atmosphere, CERN is providing up to five megawatts (MW) of thermal energy, with potential to double this when the accelerator is fully operational. This effort significantly reduces CO2 emissions by replacing traditional heating sources. The heat-recovery system is connected at Point 8 of the LHC, located near the French-Swiss border, where cryogenic equipment requires continuous cooling. Even during the upcoming multi-year Long Shutdown 3 (LS3) for upgrades, CERN will continue supplying between one and five MW of heat, except for a few months.
energyrenewable-energywaste-heat-recoveryLarge-Hadron-Colliderdistrict-heatingthermal-energycarbon-emissions-reductionChaotan One: World's 1st supercritical CO2 power unit starts in China
Chaotan One, the world’s first commercial power generator using supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) instead of steam, has commenced operations in China, marking a significant advancement in power generation technology. This innovation breaks from the century-old reliance on steam as the working medium in turbines, offering a major boost in efficiency. Unlike steam, which requires energy-intensive boiling and phase changes, sCO2 operates above its critical temperature and pressure, combining gas-like and liquid-like properties that enable more efficient turbine operation with less energy loss. Located in a steel factory in Liupanshui, Guizhou Province, Chaotan One consists of two 15-megawatt units that convert residual heat from steel production into electricity. The system is expected to increase net electricity generation by 50% and improve overall power generation efficiency to over 85%, while also featuring a simpler design with fewer components compared to traditional steam-cycle plants. This successful deployment demonstrates the feasibility of sCO2 as a working fluid and suggests
energysupercritical-CO2power-generationefficiencythermal-energyclean-energyChina-energy-innovationLiquid Loops & Urban Warmth: The Next Frontier in Data Center Efficiency - CleanTechnica
The article from CleanTechnica highlights the significant opportunity to improve data center efficiency by capturing and repurposing the vast amounts of heat they generate. Traditionally, data centers have treated heat as a waste product, using energy-intensive air cooling systems that consume 20–40% of their power just to maintain safe operating temperatures. However, with the rise of hyperscale data centers and AI workloads, there is growing interest in transforming this heat from a liability into a valuable resource. Liquid cooling technologies, such as direct-to-chip and immersion cooling, enable servers to operate at higher outlet temperatures (50–60 °C), making the waste heat suitable for integration with modern district heating networks. This approach is already being implemented in northern Europe, where dense district heating infrastructure allows data centers to supply thermal energy to residential heating demands. Examples include Meta’s data center in Odense, Denmark, which provides about 100,000 MWh annually to the local grid, and Microsoft’s Azure facilities in Finland, delivering 250
energydata-centersliquid-coolingheat-recoverydistrict-heatingthermal-energyenergy-efficiencyAre sand batteries the future of clean energy storage?
The article discusses the emerging role of sand batteries as a promising solution for large-scale, long-duration thermal energy storage, particularly in the context of increasing reliance on intermittent renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Heat accounts for over half of global final energy consumption, especially in industrial processes and building heating, yet efficient thermal storage remains a significant challenge due to heat dissipation and the bulkiness or cost of existing systems. Sand batteries leverage sand’s high specific heat capacity, low thermal conductivity, environmental friendliness, and stability at high temperatures to store thermal energy safely and efficiently without the risks associated with chemical batteries. Sand batteries operate by using surplus renewable electricity to heat air via resistive heaters, which then circulates through insulated steel silos filled with sand, raising its temperature up to around 600–1,000 °C. The sand retains this heat for extended periods with minimal loss, enabling stored thermal energy to be used later for industrial or building heating needs. This approach offers a low-maintenance, scalable,
energyenergy-storagesand-batterythermal-energyrenewable-energyclean-energythermal-storageAre Those Viral ‘Cooling Blankets’ for Real?
The article examines the popular concept of "cooling blankets" circulating on social media, clarifying that most marketed products do not truly cool the body. While these blankets may be more breathable and less heat-retentive than traditional blankets, they do not actively lower body temperature; in fact, simply having no blanket is generally cooler. The article explains the physics behind temperature and heat transfer, emphasizing that heat flows from warmer to cooler objects until equilibrium is reached, and that "coolness" cannot be transferred. Blankets function primarily as insulators, slowing heat exchange between the body and the environment. When a person is hot and uses a blanket, it usually traps heat and makes them feel warmer unless the surrounding air is hotter than body temperature. However, a blanket initially cooler than the body can absorb some thermal energy, providing a brief cooling effect until temperatures equalize. The article suggests that an effective cooling blanket would need a high mass and specific heat capacity to absorb more body heat and maintain a cooler temperature
energythermal-energyheat-transferspecific-heat-capacityinsulationcooling-technologymaterials-scienceNREL Researcher Craig Turchi Brings Small Business Experience to Big Concentrating Solar Projects
energysolar-powerconcentrating-solar-powerthermal-energyrenewable-energyenergy-efficiencyNRELPhase-Shifting Hot Bricks Pack More Energy Storage Punch Into Smaller Spaces
energyenergy-storagethermal-energyrenewable-energysolar-energywind-energyindustrial-processes