Texas data centers could cool with desalinated oil and gas water, study finds

What happened

Engineers found that desalination, the process of separating salt from water, is a strong candidate for treating salty or contaminated water for data center (a building full of computers that runs online services) cooling, easing demand on local supplies. The team studied how several data centers could adopt the approach and how the choice of treatment affects cost and environmental impact.

The findings appeared in Water Research, and the researchers noted that some data centers are already considering desalination. Membranes or heat There are two main routes to removing salt.

Reverse osmosis pushes water through membranes and is more energy-efficient, but it struggles with water saltier than seawater. Thermal methods boil off the water and condense the vapor.

Key facts

• Engineers — found: that desalination, the process of separating salt from water, is a strong candidate for treating salty or contaminated water for data center cooling, easing demand on local supplies