Refrigeration system including thermoelectric module

• US 20070101750A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 05/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Copeland Corporation LLC (Emerson Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies Incorporated (Emerson Electric Company)
• Inventors: Pham, Hung, Warner, Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 7,278,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 62/332
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/04 reversible
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 25/00 Machines, plants or systems, using a combination of modes of operation covered by two or more of the groups F25B1/00 - F25B23/00

Abstract

A method of conditioning a space with a refrigeration system includes circulating a first heat sink for a first side of a thermoelectric device and circulating a second heat sink for a second side of the thermoelectric device. The method also includes transferring heat between the first heat sink and the second heat sink to condition the space.

Claims

1. A method of conditioning a space with a refrigeration system, the method comprising:

operating a vapor compression cycle as first heat sink for a first side of a thermoelectric device;

circulating a second heat sink for a second side of said thermoelectric device;

transferring heat between said first heat sink and said second heat sink to condition the space.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising supplying an electric current to said thermoelectric device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising modulating said electric current to maintain a predetermined temperature gradient between said first and second sides of said thermoelectric device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said circulating a second heat sink includes forming a second heat sink for an air flow flowing through the space.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein circulating a second heat sink includes circulating an air flow through the space and across at least one heat-conducting fin in heat-transferring contact with said second side of said thermoelectric device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein circulating said air flow includes inducing said air flow with a fluid moving device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said transferring heat includes transferring heat from said air flow through said thermoelectric device to a compressible fluid flowing through said vapor compression cycle.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said circulating a second heat sink includes circulating a heat-transfer fluid flowing through a heat-transfer circuit in heat-transfer relation with said second side of said thermoelectric device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising maintaining said heat-transfer fluid in a single phase within said heat-transfer circuit.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transferring heat from an air flow in the space to said heat-transfer fluid and wherein said transferring heat between said first and second heat sinks includes transferring heat from said heat-transfer fluid through said thermoelectric device to a compressible fluid flowing through said vapor compression cycle.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said transferring heat from said air flow includes routing said air flow across a heat-exchanger through which said heat-transfer fluid flows.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said transferring heat includes maintaining the space at a predetermined temperature.

13. A refrigeration system comprising:

a thermoelectric device that forms a temperature gradient between first and second sides;

a vapor compression circuit forming a first heat sink in heat-transferring relation with said first side of said thermoelectric device;

a second heat sink in heat-transferring relation with said second side of said thermoelectric device;

wherein heat is transferred between said first heat sink and said second heat sink through said thermoelectric device to condition a space.

14. The refrigeration system of claim 13, further comprising at least one heat-conducting fin in heat-transferring relation with said second side of said thermoelectric device and wherein said second heat sink includes a fluid flow flowing over said at least one heat-conducting fin.

15. The refrigeration system of claim 14, wherein said fluid flow is an air flow flowing through said space.

16. The refrigeration system of claim 15, further comprising a fluid moving device inducing said air flow to flow through said space.

17. The refrigeration system of claim 13, further comprising an adjustable power supply supplying an adjustable current to said thermoelectric device.

18. The refrigeration system of claim 13, wherein said second heat sink includes a heat-transfer fluid flowing through a heat-transfer circuit in heat-transfer relation with said second side of said thermoelectric device.

19. The refrigeration system of claim 18, wherein said heat-transfer circuit includes a heat exchanger through which said heat-transfer fluid flows and over which an air flow flowing through said space flows and heat is transferred from said air flow to said heat-transfer fluid through said thermoelectric device and to said second heat sink to condition said space.

20. The refrigeration system of claim 13, wherein said vapor compression circuit includes an evaporator in heat-transferring relation with said first side of said thermoelectric device.