Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
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Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#2So it's a better Peltier element? The article only seems to compare it to existing thermoelectric devices and not standard refrigeration units so I'm going to assume they haven't gotten even close to that efficiency. If they had I would assume they wouldn't shut up about the fact.
Also one of the biggest if not the biggest downside of these chips is, unlike a split refrigeration circuit, the front gets cold while the back gets hot which means you can't move the heat very far.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#3> the APL team achieved nearly 100% improvement in efficiency over traditional thermoelectric materials at room temperature
Peltier effect refrigeration has very low efficiencies (5%) so while this is an amazing accomplishment it will not replace other more mechanical cooling methods.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#4> the APL team achieved nearly 100% improvement in efficiency over traditional thermoelectric materials at room temperature Peltier effect refrigeration has very low efficiencies (5%) so while this is an amazing accomplishment it will not replace other more mechanical cooling methods.
For sure this doesn't replace mechanical cooling.
But efficiency is extremely important in this context, not just for saving energy, but because the inefficiency manifests as heat generated, which undermines the intended refrigeration. So as far as Peltiers go, a doubling of efficiency is like a 3x ~ 4x improvement in effectiveness. Peltiers are already used for cooling in some contexts (eg. cooling CCDs) and this greatly grows the envelope for where they can be effectively employed.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#5> the APL team achieved nearly 100% improvement in efficiency over traditional thermoelectric materials at room temperature Peltier effect refrigeration has very low efficiencies (5%) so while this is an amazing accomplishment it will not replace other more mechanical cooling methods.
IIRC there is an application in solar panels where thermo electric cooling could play a role if we could get the efficiency just slightly higher.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#6[dead]
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#7Thermoelectric cooling needs as much research as possible. Mechanical cooling is extraordinarily space consuming. CHESS has the potential over the next 10 years to largely replace vapor compression in most systems other than the most extreme gradients or scales. They are small enough to incorporate into most devices and would allow smaller devices more thermal load. In some ways I think efficient TEC like CHESS could be more useful than room temperature super conductors.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#8So it's a better Peltier element? The article only seems to compare it to existing thermoelectric devices and not standard refrigeration units so I'm going to assume they haven't gotten even close to that efficiency. If they had I would assume they wouldn't shut up about the fact. Also one of the biggest if not the biggest downside of these chips is, unlike a split refrigeration circuit, the front gets cold while the…
One step at a time... it would be astonishing if any thermoelectric device can leapfrog mechanical compressors.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#9Most IR cameras use Peltier cooling so better coolers should lead to better cameras.
Re: Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling
#10So it's a better Peltier element? The article only seems to compare it to existing thermoelectric devices and not standard refrigeration units so I'm going to assume they haven't gotten even close to that efficiency. If they had I would assume they wouldn't shut up about the fact. Also one of the biggest if not the biggest downside of these chips is, unlike a split refrigeration circuit, the front gets cold while the…
> can't move the heat very far.
Heat pipes (as in CPU heatsinks) can passively move the heat up to a feet away. Far enough to allow effective insulation between cold and hot side. From there you can move the heat further away with a fan.