Contents
Why do you need a good heat sink in a Peltier cooler?
A perfect heat sink would be capable of absorbing an unlimited quantity of heat without exhibiting any increase in temperature. Since this is not possible in practice, the designer must select a heat sink that will have an acceptable temperature rise while handling the total heat flow from the TE device(s).
How do you attach a Peltier to a heat sink?
Use a card or some plastic to spread the paste evenly over the surface. Then place the Peltier device on the heat sink and rub in a circular motion until a resistance is felt. This will make sure the paste is spread evenly and get rid of excess. Too much thermal paste can hinder the thermal conductivity.
What are Peltier plates used for?
Peltier elements are commonly used in consumer products. For example, they are used in camping, portable coolers, cooling electronic components and small instruments. They can also be used to extract water from the air in dehumidifiers.
What happens if you add a Peltier to a heatsink?
Imagine that you are cooling a CPU with a power usage of 35W, using a conventional heatsink. Will the temperature drop if you add our example peltier element between CPU and heatsink? No. For a simple reason: In addition to transporting heat, peltier elements also emit considerable amounts of heat (and thus use considerable amounts of electricity).
Why does the thickness of a heatsink matter?
However, how well a plates contact with the heatsink matters. A thicker plate can maintain better contact over a wider area, reducing thermal resistance. Also a thicker plate can dissipate heat more evenly over a wider area within the plate, reducing thermal resistance.
Is there such a thing as a perfect heat sink?
A perfect heat sink would be capable of absorbing an unlimited quantity of heat without exhibiting any increase in temperature. Since this is not possible in practice, the designer must select a heat sink that will have an acceptable temperature rise while handling the total heat flow from the TE device (s).
Do you have to take heat loss into account when using a heat sink?
Note that when combining thermoelectric cooling modules and heat sinks into a total thermal system, it normally is NOT necessary to take into account heat loss or temperature rise at the module to heat sink junctions.