A Thermoelectric
cooler which is commonly called as a thermoelectric module or Peltier
cooler, is actually a semiconductor based electronic device that works as a
small heat pump. In this particular device, if a low voltage DC power is
applied then the heat will move through from one side of the device to another.
Then, one side of the module will remain heated and the other side will cool
down. A thermoelectric cooler may also
be used both for heating and cooling and henceforth is has been recognized as
the most suitable and preferred temperature control application.
The working of a Thermoelectric cooler is not really very complex as rocket science. It is quite simple and
a little bit of orientation will help everyone to control this device. A single- stage thermoelectric cooler is
placed on a heat sink which is maintained at the room temperature. The module,
after that is simply connected to a battery or some other DC power source.
Immediately the temperature of the cold part of the module will go down below
the freezing point that is around -40°C. Here, the
module will pump no heat as it has reached its maximum rated DeltaT. Only if
heat is slowly and steadily added to the module’s cooler side, the temperature rises
till the time it reaches the equal proportion of the heat sink value. This is
the point, where a thermoelectric cooler
reaches its maximum heat pumping capacity.
In a mechanical refrigeration unit,
an entire compressor raises the pressure of a liquid and circulates the
refrigerant through the system. In the evaporator and freezer area the
refrigerant boils and it absorbs heat causing the freezer to become cold. In a
thermoelectric cooling equipment a doped semiconductor material fundamentally
takes the place of the liquid refrigerant, then the condenser is substituted by
a heat sink and the compressor is replaced by a DC power source. The
application of this power to the thermoelectric cooler causes electrons to move
through the semiconductor.
A little bit of old story which is
described as history is also important for introducing a thermoelectric cooler.
Back at, 1821 a German scientist, Thomas Seebeck got an idea that an electronic
current would flow endlessly in a closed circuit made up of two dissimilar
metals only if the junctions of those metals were maintained at two variable
temperatures. Again after few years French watch maker and a part time
physicist Jean Peltier, in the course of investigating the Seeback effect,
observed that there was absolutely a different phenomenon, where the thermal
energy could be absorbed at one dissimilar metal junction and gets discharged
at the other, when an electric current
flowed within the closed circuit.
Now, there are certain industrial
platforms where a thermoelectric cooler
is used:
- Ø Industrial
electronics and Telecommunication
- Ø
Thermoelectric
cooling conditioners and assemblies with different functions
- Ø
Thermoelectric
cooling devices
- Ø
Temperature
control of various systems
- Ø
Heat flow analyses
- Ø
Production of
semiconductor assimilated microchips
- Ø
Laser equipment
- Ø
Equipments for
medicine
- Ø
Transport
industry
- Ø
Food
- Ø
Special
equipment for various industries.
