Thermoelectric heat pump

• US 9,719,701 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 08/01/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gentherm Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Gentherm Incorporated
• Inventors: Diller, Robert W., Bell, Lon E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bauer, Cassey D
• Application Number:
  US14/220,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20140325997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,230 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 21/02 using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 2321/0251 by a gas
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4935 Heat exchanger or boiler making

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a thermoelectric heat pump includes a heat transfer region having an array of thermoelectric modules, a waste channel in substantial thermal communication with a high temperature portion of the heat transfer region, and a main channel in substantial thermal communication with a low temperature portion of the heat transfer region. An enclosure wall provides a barrier between fluid in the waste channel and fluid in the main channel throughout the interior of the thermoelectric heat pump. In some embodiments, the waste fluid channel and the main fluid channel are positioned and shaped such that differences in temperature between fluids disposed near opposite sides of the enclosure wall are substantially decreased or minimized at corresponding positions along the channels.

Claims

1. An assembly for a thermoelectric heat pump used to cool an enclosed space, the assembly comprising:

an enclosure comprising a main side inlet, a main side outlet, a waste side inlet, and a waste side outlet;

a first thermoelectric module comprising a main side heat exchanger and a waste side heat exchanger; and

a stream divider assembly disposed within the enclosure, the stream divider assembly comprising a waste side channel and a main side channel configured to direct a waste fluid stream in counter flow to and separate from a main fluid stream, the waste side channel configured to direct the waste fluid stream from the waste side inlet through the waste side heat exchanger to the waste side outlet, and the main side channel configured to direct the main fluid stream from the main side inlet through the main side heat exchanger to the main side outlet, wherein the waste fluid stream remains in counter flow to the main fluid stream from the waste side inlet through the waste side heat exchanger to the waste side outlet, and wherein the main fluid stream remains in counter flow to the waste fluid stream from the main side inlet through the main side heat exchanger to the main side outlet, and

wherein, when the assembly is installed for the thermoelectric heat pump to cool the enclosed space, the main side inlet and the main side outlet are positioned inside the enclosed space, and the waste side inlet and the waste side outlet are positioned outside the enclosed space.

2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the main side inlet and the main side outlet are positioned on a main side of the assembly, and the waste side inlet and the waste side outlet are positioned on a waste side of the assembly, and wherein a plane that is between the main and waste sides of the assembly extends through the assembly parallel to a direction of the counter flow of the waste and main fluid streams.

3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the main side inlet and the main side outlet are positioned on a main side of the assembly, and the waste side inlet and the waste side outlet are positioned on a waste side of the assembly, and

when the assembly is installed for the thermoelectric heat pump to cool the enclosed space, the assembly is positioned in a wall of the enclosed space such that the wall extends along a plane that is between the main and waste sides of the assembly, the wall separating exhaust of the waste side channel from intake of the main side channel to substantially prevent the waste fluid stream from entering the main side channel.

4. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising a second thermoelectric module comprising a main side heat exchanger, wherein the first and second thermoelectric modules are oriented such that the main side heat exchanger of the first thermoelectric module and the main side heat exchanger of the second thermoelectric module face towards one another.

5. The assembly of claim 4, wherein the second thermoelectric module comprises a waste side heat exchanger, and the waste side channel comprises a plurality of waste side channels, and wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to divide the waste fluid stream received through the waste side inlet into the plurality of waste side channels through the waste side heat exchangers of the first and second thermoelectric modules to the waste side outlet, wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to divide the waste fluid stream into the plurality of waste side channels upstream of the waste side heat exchangers with respect to a flow direction of the waste fluid stream.

6. The assembly of claim 5, further comprising a third thermoelectric module comprising a waste side heat exchanger, wherein the second and third thermoelectric modules are oriented such that the waste side heat exchanger of the second thermoelectric module and the waste side heat exchanger of the third thermoelectric module face towards one another.

7. The assembly of claim 6, wherein the third thermoelectric module comprises a main side heat exchanger, and the main side channel comprises a plurality of main side channels, and wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to divide the main fluid stream received through the main side inlet into the plurality of main side channels through the main side heat exchangers of the first, second, and third thermoelectric modules to the main side outlet.

8. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising:

a first fan operatively connected to provide flow of the waste fluid stream in the waste side channel; and

a second fan operatively connected to provide flow of the main fluid stream in the main side channel in an opposite direction of the flow of the waste fluid stream in the waste side channel.

9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the main side inlet on a first end of the assembly is substantially symmetric to the main side outlet on a second end of the assembly opposite the first end, and the waste side outlet on the first end of the assembly is substantially symmetric to the waste side inlet on the second end of the assembly.

17. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to direct the main fluid stream in substantially a first direction from the main side inlet toward the first thermoelectric module and direct the main fluid stream in substantially the first direction toward of the main side outlet away from the first thermoelectric module.

18. The assembly of claim 17, wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to direct the waste fluid stream in substantially a second direction from the waste side inlet toward the first thermoelectric module and direct the waste fluid stream in substantially the second direction toward of the waste side outlet away from the first thermoelectric module, wherein first direction is counter to the second direction.

19. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stream divider assembly comprises an S-shaped channel configured to direct the waste fluid stream about the main fluid stream.

20. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stream divider assembly comprises an S-shaped channel configured to direct the main fluid stream about the waste fluid stream.

21. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the stream divider assembly comprises wedge shaped projections configured to contact the first thermoelectric module at boundaries between the main side heat exchanger and the waste side heat exchanger such that leakage between the waste side channel and the main side channel at a junction between the stream divider assembly and the first thermoelectric module is inhibited.

22. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the waste side heat exchanger comprises heat exchange fins separate from the stream divider assembly that is configured to divide the waste fluid stream received through the waste side inlet into the plurality of waste side channels.

10. A thermoelectric heat pump comprising:

an enclosure comprising a main inlet, a main outlet, a waste inlet, and a waste outlet;

a plurality of thermoelectric modules each comprising a main junction and a waste junction; and

a stream divider assembly connected to the enclosure, the stream divider assembly comprising a waste channel and a plurality of main channels configured to direct a waste fluid stream in counter flow to a main fluid stream, the waste channel configured to direct the waste fluid stream from the waste inlet through waste junctions of the plurality of thermoelectric modules to the waste outlet, and the plurality of main channels configured to divide the main fluid stream from the main inlet through main junctions of the plurality of thermoelectric modules and to combine the main fluid stream from the main junctions to the main outlet, wherein the waste fluid stream remains in counter flow to the main fluid stream from the waste inlet through the waste junctions of the plurality of thermoelectric modules toward the waste outlet.

11. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the plurality of thermoelectric modules are oriented such that at least two of the waste junctions face towards one another.

12. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the waste channel comprises a plurality of waste channels, and wherein the plurality of waste channels are configured to divide the waste fluid stream from the waste inlet through the waste junctions of the plurality of thermoelectric modules and to combine the waste fluid stream from the waste junctions to the waste outlet, wherein the stream divider assembly divides the waste fluid stream into the plurality of waste channels upstream of the waste junctions with respect to flow direction of the waste fluid stream.

13. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 12, wherein the plurality of thermoelectric modules are oriented such that at least two of the main junctions face towards one another between at least two of the plurality of waste channels.

14. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 12, wherein the plurality of waste channels are symmetric about the plurality of thermoelectric modules along a direction of the counter flow of the waste and main fluid streams, and wherein the plurality of main channels are symmetric about the plurality of thermoelectric modules along the direction of the counter flow of the waste and main fluid streams.

15. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein, when the thermoelectric heat pump is installed for use with an enclosed space, the main inlet and the main outlet are positioned inside the enclosed space, and the waste inlet and the waste outlet are positioned outside the enclosed space to substantially prevent the waste fluid stream from entering the plurality of main channels.

16. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, further comprising:

a first fan capable of providing flow of the waste fluid stream in the waste channel; and

a second fan capable of providing flow of the main fluid stream in the plurality of main channels in an opposite direction of the flow of the waste fluid stream in the waste channel.

23. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the main inlet is a single inlet of the enclosure, and wherein the stream divider assembly is configured to divide the main fluid stream into the plurality of main channels upstream of the main junctions with respect to a flow direction of the main fluid stream.

24. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the main fluid stream remains in counter flow to the waste fluid stream from the main inlet through the main junctions of the plurality of thermoelectric modules toward the main outlet.

25. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the stream divider assembly comprises an S-shaped channel configured to direct the waste fluid stream about the main fluid stream.

26. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 25, wherein the S-shaped channel is configured to direct the waste fluid stream to a full geometric extent a heat transfer region associated with the waste junction.

27. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the stream divider assembly comprises an S-shaped channel configured to direct the main fluid stream about the waste fluid stream.

28. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 27, wherein the S-shaped channel is configured to direct the main fluid stream to a full geometric extent a heat transfer region associated with the main junction.

29. The thermoelectric heat pump of claim 10, wherein the main side inlet and the main side outlet are on a same side of the enclosure.