Optimal scheduling of the high-temperature Brayton cycle Carnot battery coupled data center waste heat utilization integrated energy system

The Carnot battery, as an innovative energy storage technology, can effectively recover low-grade waste heat from data centers while enabling flexible electric-thermal conversion through reversible charge–discharge cycles. This study proposes a high-temperature Brayton cycle-based Carnot battery-data center waste heat utilization system to improve the economic performance of integrated energy systems and enhance the renewable energy utilization, while systematically investigating the feasibility of Carnot battery-assisted flexible electric-thermal conversion within such systems. Firstly, thermodynamic analysis of the system demonstrates that the Brayton-based cycle enables Carnot battery to achieve a round-trip efficiency of up to 53.6%. Secondly, a mathematical model for the system is established based on thermodynamic analysis, upon which daily optimal scheduling is conducted. The multi-objective particle swarm optimization results indicate that the Carnot battery's levelized cost of storage ranges from 0.10924 $/kWh to 0.45359 $/kWh, while the self-consumption rate varies between 0.831 and 0.96. Furthermore, by incorporating the Pareto frontier, a weighting strategy for the two objectives is formulated, providing a flexible decision-making framework that allows stakeholders to adjust objective priorities according to practical operational requirements. Finally, an in-depth evaluation of key operational indicators, including the Carnot battery's charge–discharge behavior, confirms the technical feasibility and system-level effectiveness of the proposed scheme in enhancing the overall system performance.