Microsoft about the world's first large-scale experiment on the use of hydrogen fuel cells to power servers in a data center.
The 250 kW installation was made by the company . In the future, such a 3-megawatt plant will replace traditional diesel generators, which are currently used as a backup power source in the data center.
Hydrogen is considered as an environmentally friendly fuel, because as a result of its combustion only water is formed.
Microsoft set the task .
As in other data centers, diesel generators are used in Azure data centers as backup power sources when power is lost through the main channel. This equipment is idle 99% of the time, but the data center still maintains it in working condition so that it runs smoothly in the event of rare failures. In practice, at the same Microsoft, they only undergo a monthly health check and annual load testing, when the load from them is actually delivered to the servers. Mains power failures do not occur every year.
However, Microsoft experts have calculated that the latest models of hydrogen fuel cells are already more cost-effective than diesel generators.
In addition, batteries are now used for backup power (UPS), which provide power in a short interval (from 30 seconds to 10 minutes) between a power outage and raising diesel generators. The latter are able to work continuously until the gasoline runs out.
A hydrogen fuel cell replaces both the UPS and the diesel generator. It consists of hydrogen storage tanks and an electrolysis plant that splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Here is what the Power Innovations 250 kW model looks like in reality:
The unit simply connects to the existing electrical network - and does not require the supply of fuel from the outside, like a diesel generator. It can be integrated with solar panels or wind farms to generate enough hydrogen to fill tanks. Thus, hydrogen is used as a chemical accumulator of electricity for solar and wind stations.
In 2018, researchers from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado (USA) conducted the first successful experiment to power a rack of servers from fuel cells on PEM (proton exchange membrane), that is, on .
PEM is a relatively new technology for producing hydrogen. Now such installations are gradually replacing traditional alkaline electrolysis. The heart of the system is the electrolysis cell. It has two electrodes, a cathode and an anode. Between them is a solid electrolyte, this is a proton-exchange membrane made of high-tech polymer.
Technologically, protons flow stably inside the membrane, while electrons move through the outer channel. Deionized water enters the anode, where it is split into protons, electrons and gaseous oxygen. Protons pass through the membrane, while electrons move through an external electrical circuit. At the cathode, protons and electrons recombine to form hydrogen gas (H2).
This is an extremely high-performance, reliable, cost-effective way to produce hydrogen directly at the point of consumption. Then, when hydrogen and oxygen combine, water vapor is formed and electricity is generated.
In September 2019, Power Innovations began experimenting with a 250-kilowatt fuel cell that powers 10 full server racks. In December, the system passed a 24-hour reliability test, and in June 2020, a 48-hour one.
During the last experiment, four such fuel cells operated in automatic mode. :
- 48 hours of continuous work
- 10 kWh of electricity generated
- 814 kg of hydrogen used
- 7000 liters of water produced
Now the company plans to use the same technology to construct a 3-megawatt fuel cell. Now, in terms of power, it will fully correspond to diesel generators installed in Azure data centers.
An international organization is engaged in the promotion of hydrogen as a fuel , which brings together equipment manufacturers, transport companies and large customers - Microsoft has already appointed its representative to this council. In principle, all technologies for hydrogen production and power generation are already available. The task of the organization is to scale them. There's still a lot of work to be done here.
Specialists see a great future for PEM type fuel cells. Over the past two years, their value has decreased by about four times. They perfectly complement photovoltaic and wind stations, accumulating energy during periods of maximum generation - and giving it to the grid at peak times.
Again, they can be used for power exchange brokerage, where the system purchases energy during periods of low or even β and gives it away at moments of maximum value. Such brokerage systems can work automatically, like trading bots.
As advertising
The backup power sources of our data centers do not work on hydrogen, but the reliability is on top! Our epic servers are powerful , which use modern processors from AMD.
About how we built a cluster for this service in on Habr.
Source: habr.com