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Nano-engineered thermoelectrics enable scalable, compressor-free cooling

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119 points mcswell | 4 comments | 30 Jun 25 14:51 UTC | HN request time: 0.204s | source
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bigattichouse ◴[03 Jul 25 12:44 UTC] No.44454434[source]▶
A lot of people throw around 5% efficiency for Peltiers, and it's just not true - it depends heavily on the temperature differential and current vs. IMax. You can (with care) drive them >2.0 COP.

This isn't anything like a compressor or heatpump system, but Peltiers get a bad rap... they move heat really well if you're not pushing them to the edge.

Here's a nice chart. At 10k difference and 0.1 current max, you're over 2.5 COP. https://www.meerstetter.ch/customer-center/compendium/71-pel...

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1. wrigby ◴[03 Jul 25 14:02 UTC] No.44455205[source]▶
I didn’t know this, and it jumps out to me because 10k is pretty much the exact difference between room temperature and wine fridge tenperature - I wonder if this is actually not a horrible application for peltiers?
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2. NortySpock ◴[03 Jul 25 14:22 UTC] No.44455363[source]▶
Found a wine fridge at the thrift store last month, pulled the model number, realized it was basically a Peltier cooler and a fan, and thus likely to be still operational. Powered up just fine, so...

$10 and an hour of deep cleaning later, and now we have a wine cooler in our basement. I don't recall the specs or power consumption offhand, but it does keep my beverage-of-choice a few degrees cooler than ambient. :)

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3. knowitnone ◴[03 Jul 25 14:57 UTC] No.44455725[source]▶
power consumption is worst than compressor system
4. frankus ◴[03 Jul 25 16:00 UTC] No.44456398[source]▶
I think the gotcha is that you need a beefy heatsink and fan (and power for the fan) to keep the hot side anywhere close to room temperature.