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THERMOELECTRIC COOLER MODULES
TEC MODULES
Thermoelectric devices are semiconductor heater or refrigeration units which use the Peltier effect to
create a heat flux between the two surfaces of the module. Named after French physicist Athanase
Peltier, the Peltier Effect shows that a temperature differential is created when DC current is applied
across two dissimilar materials with a P-N junction characteristics. The Peltier Effect is one of the
three thermoelectric effects, the other two are known as the Seebeck Effect and Thomson Effect.
The typical thermoelectric module is manufactured using two thin ceramic wafers with a series of P
and N doped bismuth-telluride semiconductor material elements sandwiched between them. The ceramic
material on both sides of the module adds rigidity and the necessary electrical insulation. The N element
type material has an excess of electrons, while the P element type material has a deficit of electrons.
One P element and one N element make up a couple junction that creates the thermoelectric effect.
When a DC current is applied to the circuit, a thermoelectric module can work as a cooler or
heater depending on the direction of current. A thermoelectric cooler (TEC), or solid state heat pump,
transfers heat from one side of the device to the other side against the temperature gradient.
There are many products using thermoelectric coolers, including small refrigeration systems, CCD
cameras, laser diodes, and portable picnic coolers. In addition to the aforementioned, they are also
used in thermal management of electronic devices, such as microprocessors, memory modules, etc.
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THERMOELECTRIC COOLER MODULES
There are a set of equations that define the performance of a TEC. For example if one wants to
maintain a cold temperature (TC) at a certain level for a specific amount of current (less than IMAX) to
extract a specific amount QC (less than QMAX) from the cold side, the hot side temperature (Th) can be
found from the QC equation. Subsequent equations for Qh,V and COP can be used to find the values of
Qh,V and COP. The correlations are as follows:
EQUATIONS:
Heat pumped (cold side):
Heat rejected (hot side):
Voltage across the TEC module:
Coefficient of performance (COP):
WHERE:
N is the number of couples
k is the thermal conductivity of Bi2Te3 material (W/m•K)
I
is the input current to TEC module (A)
ρ is the electrical resistivity of Bi2Te3 material (Ω•m)
V
is the voltage across TEC module (V)
Th is hot side temperature (K)
SAB is the Seebeck coefficient of Bi2Te3 material (V/K)
Tc is cold side temperature (K)
R is module electrical resistance (Ω)
NOTES
SAB, k and ρ are thermoelectric material properties that vary with temperature. Typical values are:
SAB = 200 x 10-6 V/K
k = 1.5 W/mK (at 300 K)
= 10 x 10-6 Ω•m
ρ
» Cold side is identified as seen on right
» Positive wire: red
» Negative wire: black
» Use thermal grease on both cold and hot surfaces for contact with heat sink and device
» For maximum reliability a non-condensing environment is recommended
» Lead wire: #20 AWG, solid tinned copper
» Sealed by silicone rubber RTV, for protection against moisture
» Ceramic plates = (96% Al2 02, white)
89-27 ACCESS ROAD, NORWOOD, MA 02062 USA | T: 781.769. 2800 F: 781.769.9979 | WWW.QATS.COM
THERMOELECTRIC COOLER MODULES
TEC Modules
FEATURES & BENEFITS
» Medium to small form factors (10x10 to 50x50 mm)
» Thin form factor (3.3 to 4.7 mm)
» Cooling power, Qmax, from 2 to 133W
» Customizable shapes to suit different applications
APPLICATIONS
» Thermal management
» Laboratory testing
» Laser diode
TOP VIEW
» Refrigerators
» Telecom equipment
» Biomedical equipment
SIDE VIEW
PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS
Vmax
Qmax
(volts) (watts)
ΔTmax
(Th=300K)
Modules Dimensions (mm)
Internal
N
Weight
Resistance Length Width Height Wire Length
(Couples)
Part
Number
Imax
amps
ATS-TEC40-45-001
4
15.4V
36.8W
68°C
3.02Ω±10%
40
40
4.5
300
26.8g
127
ATS-TEC40-47-002
4
15.4V
36.8W
68°C
3.02Ω±10%
40
40
4.7
100
28.6g
127
ATS-TEC40-40-003
5
15.4V
46.5W
68°C
2.51Ω±10%
40
40
4.0
100
23.8g
127
ATS-TEC40-39-004
6
15.4V
53.0W
68°C
2.05Ω±10%
40
40
3.9
100
23.3g
127
ATS-TEC40-35-005
8
15.4V
68.8W
68°C
1.51Ω±10%
40
40
3.5
100
22.9g
127
ATS-TEC40-33-006
10
15.4V
88.9W
68°C
1.12Ω±10%
40
40
3.3
100
22.6g
127
ATS-TEC50-40-007
12
15.4V
106.7W
68°C
0.91Ω±10%
50
50
4.0
100
51.4g
127
ATS-TEC50-38-008
15
15.4V
133.3W
68°C
0.75Ω±10%
50
50
3.8
100
40.2g
127
ATS-TEC40-42-010
3
24.1V
41.6W
68°C
6.82Ω±10%
40
40
4.2
100
27.5g
127
ATS-TEC10-47-012
4
0.8V
2.0W
68°C
0.16Ω±10%
10
10
4.7
100
4.3g
7
ATS-TEC30-47-013
4
8.5V
21.0W
68°C
1.73Ω±10%
30
30
4.7
100
16.3g
71
ATS-TEC23-36-014
3
8.5V
14.9W
68°C
2.05Ω±10%
23
23
3.6
100
7.4g
71
ATS-TEC40-47-015
3
15.4V
26.7W
68°C
3.42Ω±10%
40
40
4.7
140
28.5g
127
ATS-TEC50-38-016
7
29.4V
118.5W
68°C
3.36Ω±10%
50
50
3.8
140
38.4g
241
ATS-TEC30-36-017
3
15.4V
26.7W
68°C
3.42Ω±10%
30
30
3.6
100
13.5g
127
ATS-TEC40-35-018
8
24.1V
111.5W
68°C
2.35Ω±10%
40
40
3.5
100
25g
199
ATS-TEC40-37-019
6
15.4V
53.3W
68°C
1.98Ω±10%
40
40
3.7
100
24.5g
124
ATS-TEC30-33-020
4
15.4V
35.6W
68°C
3.08Ω±10%
30
30
3.5
100
12.2g
127
89-27 ACCESS ROAD, NORWOOD, MA 02062 USA | T: 781.769. 2800 F: 781.769.9979 | WWW.QATS.COM
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