Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

news.samsung.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 329 posts

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#151

Post by gettingoverit »

SchemaLoad wrote: post #146
gettingoverit wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Actually AI has a lot to do with material design. I can't do a proper explanation, so please bear with this information dump: - We don't have a strong physical theory for solid state physics. Quantum stuff doesn't scale well from 1 atom to a mole of atoms, because 10^23 goes into the exponent of number of energy levels in the system, and then we also have to model interaction of those levels. - Physical properties of…

What the article is talking about is using temperature probes and deciding if to run the compressor or peltier, or both depending on the temperature. That's what they are calling AI. Some if statements on a microcontroller.

Oh wow. I've seen so many "AI" that apparently I started reading around them.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#152

Post by baby_souffle »

est wrote: post #133
anticensor wrote: post #4

Did they solve the inefficiency problem of peltiers?

> In the Bespoke AI Hybrid Refrigerator Samsung launched in 2024, the compressor operates under normal conditions such as routine storage and retrieval, while the Peltier device activates alongside the compressor during high-load situations — like when storing large amounts of groceries or placing hot food inside — thereby enhancing both cooling performance and energy efficiency I'd choose a fridge with a larger comp…

Larger compressor would probably mean short cycling though. That has its own downsides.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#153

Post by boodleboodle »

SchemaLoad wrote: post #144

This article uses the term AI 5 times to talk about basic microcontroller sensor readings.

That my friend is the Korean Way (^tm).

If they don’t meet the minimum AI namedrop quota, Seocho Samsung HQ rejects the proposal.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#154

Post by jmb99 »

jfengel wrote: post #114
userbinator wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

8 degrees or just 8 on the 1-10 scale that many of them use? (I always remember the recommended fridge temperature as 40F, which avoids the confusion.)

I suspect it's that. Most inexpensive refrigerators don't have thermostats. Which seems insane; it cannot add that much to the price. 8C is a perfectly fine temperature for a wine fridge. And they usually have thermostats because a wine fridge is a luxury item. As opposed to keeping people from getting foodborne illness.

> Which seems insane; it cannot add that much to the price.

Be careful what you wish for.

When buying my current fridge, I specifically tried to go out of my way to avoid complexity, but the opening for my fridge is an odd size so my choices were limited. The only fridge I could buy that didn’t have a bunch of crap that’s was guaranteed to break (ice maker, water dispenser [seriously? aren’t most fridges right next to a faucet?], LCD-covered glass panel, etc) that also had a thermostat had a digitally-controlled thermostat. No knob or physical buttons, just a capacitive surface for temperature adjustment and some LCD screens showing the fridge and freezer set temps. (Not the actual measured temps, that would be too useful, just the set temps.)

In hindsight, I probably should’ve just gotten one with a regular dial, but I was a bit fixated on the “real” thermostat. So now I’ve got that to look forward to breaking in 4-5 years and figuring out where the hell to source a discontinued fridge LCD panel from.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#155

Post by cactusfrog »

SchemaLoad wrote: post #144

This article uses the term AI 5 times to talk about basic microcontroller sensor readings.

My process control theory textbook has a chapter on neural networks and a lot of the language in control theory has an AI like tinge to it. I think this AI language is native to control theory so it might not be as overblown as it first sounds.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#156

Post by nimos »

exhilaration wrote: post #143
lightedman wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're already doing great. I have a portable neck AC unit that uses peltiers and it keeps my head and neck cool in otherwise nasty desert conditions when mining. Yes the radiative heating from the sun is still a bitch but a hat basically minimizes that, and also redirects the partially-chilled air more efficiently around my head and face. The direct-contact neck cooling plates are an absolute lifesaver. Keep the su…

Sounds cool :-) I think we'd forgive you for providing a direct link to this product.

There's a bajillion of them around if you search "neck cooler" or similar. Very simple product sticking a few commodity items together. Some do only have fans though.

When I looked a while ago there wasn't really a clear winner or high quality unit. There is the "Coolify" series that are much more expensive but still somewhat middling reviews overall.

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#157

Post by coderatlarge »

teamonkey wrote: post #86

The Johns Hopkins press release is much better https://www.jhuapl.edu/news/news-releases/250521-apl-thermoe...

can this be applied to create devices that maintain a temperature range? ie more than x AND less than y? that’s often needed for medications…

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#158

Post by [deleted] »

Calwestjobs wrote: post #137
binarymax wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For anyone wondering (like me) what COP is in this context, it’s Coefficient of Performance: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_performance

and COP 15 is measure at 1.3'C temperature difference towards outside of fridge, so if it is 80f in your home then good luck to your lettuce.

[deleted]

Re: Staying cool without refrigerants: Next-generation Peltier cooling

#159

Post by chrismorgan »

theluketaylor wrote: post #59
bob1029 wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been thinking about what it would look like to convert my GE fridge into a minisplit (i.e., move the compressor, condensing coil & fan outside). You can buy R600a on Amazon right now. One $60 can will charge the system ~5 times.

With home HVAC, fridges, water heaters, and dryers all using now able to use of dependent on heat pumps I wonder how long it be before we see modular appliances that connect to coolant lines where the temperature differential is supplied by a central high efficiency heat pump. Cars already have heat scavenging that can move heat from where it's being created through losses to places where it's valuable, like the cabi…

A few years ago I was planning to build a velomobile that I would live out of for a year while circumnavigating Australia, and potentially indefinitely. (My plans changed.) I was disappointed at how hard refrigeration information was to come by (maybe I should have sought a traditional paper book), but I was kinda looking forward to figuring out if I could use one compressor to cool a small fridge, cool and perhaps heat the cabin, heat water, and heat a slow cooker (target 80°C). The bits I could work out suggested you might want a different refrigerant for the cooling and heating applications, or different back pressures; but I was rather hampered in my reckoning by my lack of domain knowledge—I was definitely going to have to talk to professionals! If so, and combined with the limited power collection available (I even ran some naive numbers on the amount of water that would condense in expected conditions, concluding it could be handy but I’d probably still need to source more water.
Post reply on HN