[PSUBS-MAILIST] Personal_Submersibles Digest, Vol 50, Issue 29

[River Dolfi via Personal_Submersibles]

No need to be skeptical about the heating performance of a peltier. If you
calculated an efficiency using the normal math (Watts of heat out/ Watts of
electric in) you would calculate that they are more than 100% efficient!

Peltier elements behave the same as a heat pump, so you are utilizing high
quality energy (electric) to move lower quality energy (heat) around. Since
efficiency can't be above 100%, we call the previously calculated number
the "Coefficient of Performance" and call the efficiency of such a device
COP-100%.

For a typical Peltier, (110 COP, or 10% efficient) 10 watts of electricity
will move 1 watt of heat from one side to another. The 10 watts of electric
have to go somewhere, so are converted into lower quality energy and given
off as heat on the hot side, along with the heat moved from the cold side.

I've been busy brushing up on my thermodynamics...
-- 
-River J. Dolfi

412-997-2526
rdolfi7 at gmail.com
rwd5301 at psu.edu
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