INCREMENTAL DEPLOYMENT OF STAND-ALONE AND HIERARCHICAL ADAPTIVE COOLING AND ENERGY HARVESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

摘要

Arrangements for incremental deployment of stand-alone and hierarchical adaptive cooling and energy harvesting arrangements for use in information technology and other heat-producing equipment are disclosed. The arrangements provide for individual cooling and energy harvesting subsystems, each of which can operate in isolation and be interconnected with additional subsystems in peer and hierarchical relationships. Each subsystem comprises at least one thermoelectric device capable of acting as a thermoelectric cooler and as a thermoelectric generator, a control system, and electronics controlled to selectively configure the thermoelectric device in at least in a thermoelectric cooler operating mode and in a thermoelectric generation operating mode. The thermoelectric device can incorporate quantum-process and quantum-well materials for higher heat transfer and thermoelectric generation efficiencies. The control system of each subsystem can operate in isolation but also work together with the control system of one or more other associated subsystems interconnected in peer or hierarchical arrangements.