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John O | June 2013

Thermoelectric Peltier Cooling


visit the coolingzone-13 summit web page to learn about this important thermal managment conference - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=481#sthash.akjtemfy.dpuf

visit the coolingzone-13 summit web page to learn about this important thermal managment conference - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=481#sthash.akjtemfy.dpuf

isit the coolingzone-13 summit web page to learn about this important thermal managment conference - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=481#sthash.akjtemfy.dpuf

a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

---------------- - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=546#sthash.eiwr9gxu.dpuf

a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

---------------- - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=546#sthash.eiwr9gxu.dpuf
a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

---------------- - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=546#sthash.eiwr9gxu.dpuf

a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

---------------- - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=546#sthash.eiwr9gxu.dpuf

a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

---------------- - see more at: https://www.coolingzone.com/library.php?read=546#sthash.eiwr9gxu.dpuf

a first in the field of thermoelectric cooling, teca introduces the ahp-6263 model with a half ton of cooling capacity. this is the largest commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner anywhere. the ahp-6263 is a 3 phase, 240 vac air conditioner. suitable for nema-12, nema-4 and nema-4x.

----------------
thermoelectric peltier cooling

discovered in 1834, the peltier effect describes what happens when a voltage is applied to a thermocouple between different metals: a temperature difference results between the two sides. today, thousands of applications use thermoelectric modules as cooling or heating devices. the peltier effect is the basis of thermoelectric cooling (tec) designs, including those used for electronics thermal management.  [1]

a peltier cooler, heater or thermoelectric heat pump is a solid-state device which transfers heat from one side to the other, with consumption of electrical energy, depending on the direction of the current. it can also be used as a temperature controller that either heats or cools.

 

thermoelectric cooler construction
a tec module is a device composed of thermoelectric couples (n and p-type semiconductor legs) that are connected electrically in series, in parallel thermally and, fixed by soldering, sandwiched between two ceramic plates. the latter form the hot and cold thermoelectric cooler (tec) sides. [2]

modern tecs use several stacked units each composed of dozens or hundreds of thermocouples laid out next to each other, which allows for a substantial amount of heat transfer. a combination of bismuth and tellurium is most commonly used for the thermocouples.

 

 thermoelectic_cooling_figure_1_536_01

figure 1. schematic of a typical thermoelectric cooler [3]

a main benefit of tecs, or peltier coolers, is that they allow cooling below ambient temperature; but, unlike other cooling systems that allow this (e.g. vapor phase refrigeration), they are less expensive and more compact. peltier elements are solid-state devices with no moving parts; they are extremely reliable and do not require any maintenance.

component cooling
unlike a simple heat sink, a thermoelectric cooler permits lowering the temperature of an object below ambient as well as stabilizing the temperature of objects which are subject to widely varying ambient conditions. a thermoelectric cooler is an active cooling module whereas a heat sink provides only passive cooling.

high power usage and high power dissipation are the biggest problems related to peltier cooling. for today's cpus having a power dissipation of over 100w, building a peltier cpu cooler using just a peltier element and a heat sink is quite a challenge, and ready-made peltier coolers are scarce and expensive. with such coolers, over 200w of heat may be dissipated inside the case. for modern cpus, it is better to combine peltier elements with water cooling. in any case, the resulting cooling system will be expensive to run, due to its high power usage, and not very eco-friendly. the large power dissipation will require powerful (and thus loud) fans. [4]

another problem related to peltier cooling is condensation. since it is possible to cool components below ambient temperature using peltier elements, condensation may occur. the exact temperature at which condensation occurs depends on ambient temperature and on air humidity.

m. ikeda et al looked at applying a tec for cpu cooling.  their proposed cooling system had no moving parts and could improve thermal performance by keeping the same form factor. this system would accommodate an increase in the cpu thermal design power and/or lower the noise of the cooling solution. the authors discovered that a "hybrid structure", composed of an integrated combination of tec integrated heat sink and heat pipe remote heat sink, could reduce acoustic fan noise and required tec power consumption to cool the cpu. in one case, they developed a compact cooling device with the capability of cpu cooling for 130 w at acoustic fan noise less than 40 db, with cop = 10.8 [5]

thermoelectric coolers generally may be considered for applications that require heat removal ranging from milliwatts up to several thousand watts. most single-stage tecs, including both high and low current modules, are capable of pumping a maximum of 3 to 6 watts per square centimeter (20 to 40 watts per square inch) of module surface area. multiple modules mounted thermally in parallel may be used to increase total heat pump performance. large thermoelectric systems in the kilowatt range have been built in the past for specialized large footprint applications. systems of this magnitude are now used in semiconductor manufacturing lines. [6] 

enclosure cooling
thermoelectric solid-state air conditioners can be a cost-effective solution for cooling electronic equipment and devices housed in enclosures and cabinets. with relatively low energy requirements and the ability to provide both cooling and heating from the same device (when needed), these systems are becoming increasingly popular for enclosure cooling applications.

with effective packaging, the cooling properties of tecs can be harnessed into modular air conditioners that can dissipate loads up to 2,500 btu/hr, which are commonly found in enclosure cooling applications. for some applications with higher cooling requirements, multiple thermoelectric systems can be used to provide the necessary cooling.

the use of solid-state technology allows thermoelectric air conditioners to operate in any orientation – vertically, horizontally or on an angle. in addition, thermoelectric air conditioners can be used in high temperature applications up to 140°f (60°c), and some thermoelectric coolers can be designed to operate in conditions well beyond this limit. for electronic/electrical enclosures located in desert regions or in hot industrial plant operations, the high temperature limit of thermoelectric systems can provide a significant benefit. [6]

teca corporation’s ahp-6200 series air conditioners offer up to 5,200 btu/hr of thermoelectric cooling performance! this is the highest performance, commercially available thermoelectric air conditioner in the world, offering almost 60% more performance than the largest competing model. this achievement, combined with the high standard of green zone efficiency ratings, will allow for the broader use of thermoelectric air conditioners in many industries. [7]

 thermoelectic_cooling_figure_2_442

figure 2. high capacity, power saving air to air heat exchanger from teca [7]

teca’s exclusive temperature control with eco-mode combines the efficiencies of a heat exchanger with the robust, heat/cool power of thermoelectric modules. the energy-saving eco-mode begins passive cooling at 25°c; active cooling begins at 35°c and heat/cool versions will heat at 10°c.

the ahp-6200 has a centrally-located power input cord, mounting gasket, large bolting flange and robust hardware which provide easier, user-friendly installation. a proprietary condensate control system is part of the design allowing the user to mount in any orientation or location in the enclosure. construction is of stainless steel and aluminum.

the ahp-6200 is currently available with industrial grade or military grade sealed fans as needed, to serve a variety of environments. 120 or 240 vac input voltage is available and customization is possible.

 

tec specs from iec
the iec has developed technical specification iec/ts 62610-3, titled:  mechanical structures for electronic equipment – thermal management for cabinets in accordance with iec 60297 and iec 60917 series – part 3: design guide: evaluation method for thermoelectrical cooling systems (peltier effect). per the iec, the specification provides an evaluation method for thermoelectrical cooling systems (peltier effect). with this design guide, it is possible to calculate the efficiency of the thermoelectrical cooling system (peltier effect) and its cooling power depending on the ambient temperature and internal temperature. this design guide can also be used to appraise thermoelectrical cooling systems by its efficiency. [8]

the stated scope and object of this document is stated as “this part of iec 62610 provides an evaluation method for thermoelectrical cooling systems (peltier effect). with this design guide it is possible to calculate the efficiency of the thermoelectrical cooling system (peltier effect) and its cooling power depending on the ambient temperature and internal temperature. this design guide can also be used to appraise thermoelectrical cooling systems by its efficiency.”

references:

  1. http://www.inbthermoelectric.com/peltier-cooling-and-seebeck-effect.html
  2. http://www.tec-microsystems.com/en/intro_thermoelectric_coolers.html
  3. http://thermal.ferrotec.com/technology/thermoelectric/thermalref02/
  4. http://www.heatsink-guide.com/peltier.htm
  5. ikeda, m., nakamura, t., kimura, y., noda, h., sauciuc, i. and erturk, h., thermal performance of thermoelectric cooler (tec) integrated heat sink and optimizing structure for low acoustic noise / power consumption, semi-therm, 2006.
  6. http://www.eicsolutions.com/pdf/thermoelectric-cooling-whitepaper.pdf
  7. http://www.thermoelectric.com/2010/pdf/ahp-6250%20240%20vac.pdf
  8. http://webstore.iec.ch/webstore/webstore.nsf/artnum/043611?opendocument&mlref=jp

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