Thermoelectric cooling system for a food and beverage compartment

摘要

A thermoelectric cooling system includes a thermoelectric device that transfers heat from a cold side to a hot side via a Peltier effect, an air heat exchanger that transfers heat from air to the cold side, and a heat sink that transfers heat from the hot side to a fluid coolant. The system also includes a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of air, and a controller that controls a flow of electrical power to the thermoelectric device according to a temperature measurement. The system also transfers heat from the air heat exchanger to the heat sink via the thermoelectric device according to a heat conduction effect due to a temperature difference between the air heat exchanger and the fluid coolant. The controller may reduce an effective voltage across the thermoelectric device to reduce power consumption of the thermoelectric device.

主权项

1. A thermoelectric cooling system comprising:
a thermoelectric device electrically coupled with a power supply, the thermoelectric device operative to transfer heat from a cold side to a hot side via a Peltier effect using electrical power from the power supply to create an effective voltage across the thermoelectric device; an air heat exchanger coupled with the cold side of the thermoelectric device and operative to transfer heat from air in thermal contact with the air heat exchanger to the thermoelectric device; a heat sink coupled with the hot side of the thermoelectric device and operative to transfer heat from the hot side to a fluid coolant in thermal contact with the heat sink; a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of air that flows through the air heat exchanger; and a controller that controls a flow of electrical power from the power supply to the thermoelectric device according to a measurement of the temperature sensor, wherein the thermoelectric cooling system is operative to maintain a desired measured temperature by transferring heat from the air heat exchanger to the heat sink via the thermoelectric device according to a heat conduction effect due to a temperature difference between the air heat exchanger and the fluid coolant in thermal contact with the heat sink when no electrical power is provided to the thermoelectric device from the power supply, and wherein the thermoelectric device is controlled to be on during initial temperature pull-down and off after a stead state temperature range including the desired measured temperature has been reached when the thermoelectric cooling system operates in a refrigeration or beverage chilling mode where the desired measured temperature is above a freezing temperature.