A few more months and the Debrecen Sports Center will be heated by the waste heat produced by the most powerful supercomputer in our country. Up to 400 kW of waste heat can thus be utilized by using the Komondor supercomputer of the Government Information Technology Development Agency (KIFÜ).
KIFÜ started the high-capacity supercomputer development program three years ago, as a result of which the Komondor was handed over in January. During its development, it was an important aspect that the equipment operated with particularly energy-efficient technology. The new High-performance computing (HPC, supercomputer) ranks 21st on the Green500 list ranking the world’s most efficient supercomputers.
Thanks to its completely direct warm liquid cooling system, Komondor is capable of up to forty times more cooling performance than general data center systems. Based on the cooperation agreement between KIFÜ and the Debrecen Sportcentrum Közhhasznú Nonprofit Kft. (DSC NKft), the machine’s waste heat will be used in the Debrecen Sports Center in a few months. The parties held a joint press conference on the details with the City of Debrecen County and the University of Debrecen (on whose territory Komondor operates). It was announced at the event that the hot water produced during the use of the HPC will reach the Sports Swimming Pool through a 41°C and approximately 380-meter-long, 70-100 cm-deep heat-insulated pipeline.
László Papp, the mayor of Debrecen, emphasized in his briefing that developments with high added value are one of the engines of development. In Debrecen, these are partly related to the economic life of the city, economic actors, and partly to the University of Debrecen. He highlighted that in the past period, many factors – the coronavirus epidemic, the war in our neighborhood, the energy crisis – made everyday life difficult, so it can be considered a milestone that the district heating that heats the Sports Pool can be replaced with the energy produced by the supercomputer.
Zoltán Bács, the chancellor of the University of Debrecen, said in his speech that during the planning and construction of the Supercomputer Center located on the Kassai út Campus of the university, the possibility of this kind of hot water transfer was a consideration, therefore there is no need for major architectural intervention in the building. András Becsky, the manager of the Debrecen Sportcentrum Közhasznú Nonprofit Kft., draws attention to the fact that the operation of the facility is a serious sporting and social interest. The current heating of the swimming pool is solved using district heating.
In order to ensure sustainable operation, the heat supply of the swimming pool was redesigned. In the future, you can rely on several, independent, renewable (ground probe heat pumps) and waste energy (HPC and thermal water waste heat). The central element of this is the supercomputer. The system is built in such a way that, if necessary, Komondor’s waste heat is automatically supplemented from the previously mentioned district heat and complementary heat sources. The construction works will start soon, so the waste heat will be useful within a few months.
