Reliable outdoor instrument cooling system
First Claim
1. An apparatus for regulating temperature of one or more temperature-sensitive components within a main enclosure, comprising:
- a self-contained power supply;
one or more thermoelectric coolers;
a temperature sensor for measuring temperature within a temperature-controlled zone at or near the temperature-sensitive components;
an inner enclosure within the main enclosure, the inner enclosure made of a thermally conductive material that is thermally coupled to the thermoelectric coolers; and
a temperature controller configured to regulate power supplied from the independent power supply to the thermoelectric coolers to maintain the temperature within the temperature-controlled zone within a specified range by conduction between the thermoelectric coolers and the inner enclosure.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A method, system, and apparatus for controlling the temperature within a remotely located enclosure that contains temperature sensitive equipment is provided. For some embodiments, the system includes an array of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) devices that act as an active cooling device and an active heating device. The system may also include a temperature controller that receives signals from a temperature sensor located at or near the temperature sensitive equipment. The controller may be configured to supply DC power to the thermoelectric coupling devices based on the output signal of the temperature sensor. The polarity of the DC power can be reversed by the controller in order to cause the thermoelectric device to heat or to cool the enclosure. The system also contains a passive cooling device. The system includes an independent electrical power source with a battery and solar cell to supply power to the temperature control devices and the equipment contained in the enclosure.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. An apparatus for regulating temperature of one or more temperature-sensitive components within a main enclosure, comprising:
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a self-contained power supply;
one or more thermoelectric coolers;
a temperature sensor for measuring temperature within a temperature-controlled zone at or near the temperature-sensitive components;
an inner enclosure within the main enclosure, the inner enclosure made of a thermally conductive material that is thermally coupled to the thermoelectric coolers; and
a temperature controller configured to regulate power supplied from the independent power supply to the thermoelectric coolers to maintain the temperature within the temperature-controlled zone within a specified range by conduction between the thermoelectric coolers and the inner enclosure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. An apparatus for regulating temperature of one or more temperature-sensitive components within a main enclosure, comprising:
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a self-contained power supply;
one or more thermoelectric coolers;
a temperature sensor for measuring temperature within a temperature-controlled zone at or near the temperature-sensitive components; and
a temperature controller configured to regulate power supplied from the independent power supply to the thermoelectric coolers to maintain the temperature within the temperature-controlled zone within a specified range, wherein the apparatus is capable of maintaining a temperature within the temperature controlled zone within a range of approximately 0.3 degrees Celsius peak to peak within a predefined target temperature.
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16. An apparatus for maintaining a temperature of one or more temperature-sensitive components within a main enclosure, comprising:
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one or more solid state cooling devices;
a thermally conductive manifold that is thermally coupled to the one or more solid state cooling devices to conduct heat from the temperature-sensitive components to the solid state cooling devices;
a temperature sensor for measuring temperature at or near the one or more temperature-sensitive components; and
a temperature controller configured to generate a signal to the solid state cooling devices to maintain the temperature at or near the temperature-sensitive components within a specified range. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19)
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20. A fiber optic sensing system, comprising:
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one or more fiber optic sensors for sensing one or more downhole parameters;
one or more optical signal processing components optically coupled to the one or more fiber optic sensors via one or more optical fibers; and
a temperature controlled enclosure housing the one or more optical signal processing components, one or more thermoelectric coolers thermally coupled via at least one thermally conductive manifold with at least one of the optical signal processing components, a temperature sensor for measuring temperature at or near the optical signal processing components, and a temperature controller configured to vary power supplied to the thermoelectric coolers based on a signal from the temperature sensor. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. A method of regulating temperature of one or more temperature-sensitive components within an enclosure, comprising the steps of:
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thermally coupling the temperature-sensitive components to one or more thermoelectric coolers via at least one thermally conductive manifold;
measuring temperature at or near the temperature-sensitive components; and
varying power supplied to thermoelectric coolers thermally coupled with at least one of the temperature-sensitive components, in response to the measured temperature. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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Specification