4 ms·
Peltier gives you energy in exchange for making heat transfer worse. Or you can make heat transfer better by paying a bit of energy. The exchange rate is very p
by schmidtleonard 2y ago
Peltier gives you energy in exchange for making heat transfer worse. Or you can make heat transfer better by paying a bit of energy. The exchange rate is very poor in both directions.
- mbreese 2y agoI know they are very inefficient, but are they more inefficient at heat transfer than the alternative of radiant cooling? I have no idea. I know they are used for electricity generation on some other spacecraft, but I always thought it was because it was a method of last resort. But I had never considered if a Peltier would work for cooling.
- schmidtleonard 2y agoPeltiers are never an alternative to radiant cooling. They do not get rid of heat, they pump it from one side to another (if you apply power) or resist its flow (if you extract power -- this is what RTGs do). You still have to get rid of the heat when it reaches the other side of the Peltier.