- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.world
Repurposed aviation engines power AI data centers, bridging energy gaps and enabling rapid AI infrastructure growth with efficient, low-emission solutions.
Repurposed aviation engines power AI data centers, bridging energy gaps and enabling rapid AI infrastructure growth with efficient, low-emission solutions.
Isn’t the rotation of the turbine in a jet engine designed with the idea of pushing massive amounts of air and not necessarily the efficiency of the turbine rotation to produce electricity? Like it feels it’s not that efficient and they’re just reaching for anything they can use to generate power.
Nah, just take the turbofan off and replace it with a generator.
Yes, that’s the how. But I was talking about efficiency. Would that engine be just as efficient as another motor connected to a generator to produce electricity? My hypothesis was: no it’s not, which is why I was saying they’re just reaching for anything to provide power at this rate.
I worked at a turbine manufacturer. The parts are similar but a grounded turbine is not much different in shape to one on a plane. Everything around it is different. Plane turbines sacrifice environmental protection over efficiency… They are more fuel efficient than power plant turbines. But they are more polluting since there’s no way to capture and treat the exhaust.
Thank you. That’s more of the differentiation I was curious about. I know fundamentally a turbine is a turbine but I figured there was some degree of customization and trade offs between the two.
And the more polluting is gonna be a fun one especially with how bad the issue of generators at the Grok DC in Tennessee is.
The other differences are mostly in materials used. You want to use light weight materials for aircraft engines. Often they require more maintenance because it may be hardened aluminum like 7075 which is great for strength and light weight, but may eventually fail from vibration fatigue where fractures propagate as more back and forth bending cycles happen.