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I wonder if a refrigerator that uses Peltier cooling could ever be practical by taking all of the space savings of getting rid of the compressor and using it to
by tengbretson 4y ago
I wonder if a refrigerator that uses Peltier cooling could ever be practical by taking all of the space savings of getting rid of the compressor and using it to increase insulation or thermal mass, offsetting some of the relative inefficiencies of the underlying tech.
It doesn't appear this article will make it clear if such a thing is possible, since it lacks any hard numbers relating to the technologies it is comparing.
- alexose 4y agoPeltier fridges definitely exist, although the poor efficiency means that they're best suited for small capacity. Here's an example: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KZLJ7PB https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KZLJ7PB
- dvirsky 4y agoI have a similar one, slightly bigger than this. They are cheap and quiet but don't really cool that much.
- Baeocystin 4y agoNo. The efficiency is so terrible compared to what heat pumps can do it's ridiculous. Think a few percent vs 2-300%. Peltier coolers have one thing going for them- they have no moving parts*. That's it. Which means they still have their niche! But everything else about them is awful compared to other cooling solutions. *in practice most applications use fans for the heat sinks.
- rsaxvc 4y agoThey're semi-practical today in niche applications. You can get a small peltier car cooler , and the inefficiencies aren't huge compared to the rest of the car's electric usage. They're not great though, and many are poorly made.