Refrigeration – Using electrical or magnetic effect – Thermoelectric; e.g. – peltier effect
Patent
1994-04-01
1996-12-31
Doerrler, William
Refrigeration
Using electrical or magnetic effect
Thermoelectric; e.g., peltier effect
62 37, 165185, F25B 2102
Patent
active
055883001
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
The present invention relates to a device for regulating the temperature in a room for keeping objects, said device comprising a thermo-electric cooling element connected by one first end thereof to said room through a first heat conducting element, means connected to the thermo-electric cooling element and adapted to cause an electric current to flow through said cooling element, and a second heat conducting element connected to the opposite, second end of the cooling element and adapted to be in contact with a medium for exchange of heat therewith controlled by the electric current through the thermo-electric cooling element.
A device of this kind is already known through U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,518, which shows how such a device is used so as to control the temperature in a room for keeping objects in a boat in the form of a refrigerator by drainage of heat to the water surrounding the hull of the boat through said second heat conducting element. The definition thermal-electric cooling element relates to all types of thermo-electric elements utilizing the so called Peltier effect so as to transmit heat from a body located on one side of the element to a body arranged on the other side thereof.
The advantage of utilizing a device of this kind for regulating the temperature in a room for keeping objects resides especially in the low energy consumption required to control such a thermo-electric cooling element, which is particularly favourable when there is no possibility to be connected to the electricity supply network, such as for example in a boat. Furthermore, there is in the refrigerator case no need for any movable parts in the form of compressor, pump or fan, as in conventional boat refrigerators, which of course contributes to the low energy consumption and the soundlessness of the refrigerator.
A serious disadvantage of the device according to said American patent resides in the fact that the two first and second heat conducting elements are constituted by rigid thermal conductors, for instance a copper rod, so that the connection between the very wall of the room for keeping objects and the end of the second heat conducting element being in contact with the medium is rigid. This implies primarily that the both ends of the thermo-electric cooling element are fixed in the room and by that the cooling element may be exerted to considerable moments should no strong struts be arranged so as to safely keep a heat conducting element or elements connected thereto in place. The cooling element is rigidly connected to the refrigerator in the device according to U.S. Pat. No. 4,355,518, so that a second heat conducting element in the form of a copper rod has to be held by considerable struts at a high accuracy in order to be located tight against the thermo-electric cooling element and in order to prevent the moments or torques on the thermo-electric element from getting too high.
Another disadvantage of a device of the type described in the American patent consists in the necessity to manufacture different heat conducting elements for using the device in different applications, where the mutual arrangement in the room of the room for keeping objects and a contact surface of the second heat conducting element with said medium is varying. This means in practice that in case of using a device for refrigerators in boats specially dimensioned heat conducting elements adapted to the boat in question have to be provided for the different distances between the bottom of the boat and the most suitable location of the refrigerator. This means that it will of course be difficult to obtain any multiple production of such refrigerators or devices.
The invention is in no way restricted to devices for regulating the temperature in a refrigerator, but several other applications are conceivable, such as for instance medicine boxes and the like. The medium being in contact with the second heat conducting element may be of a number of different types, such as water in a lake, a sea or the l
REFERENCES:
patent: 3088288 (1963-05-01), Elfving
patent: 3088289 (1963-05-01), Alex
patent: 3543842 (1970-12-01), Marges
patent: 3609992 (1971-10-01), Cacheux
patent: 4355518 (1982-10-01), Beitner
patent: 4955203 (1990-09-01), Sundhar
patent: 5077637 (1991-12-01), Martorana et al.
Larsson Stefan
Tennstedt Christer
Doerrler William
Engellenner Thomas J.
LandOfFree
Thermoelectric refrigeration system with flexible heatconducting does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Thermoelectric refrigeration system with flexible heatconducting, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Thermoelectric refrigeration system with flexible heatconducting will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1134364