Thermoelectric cooling modules, often referred to as Peltier devices, utilize the Peltier effect to create a temperature differential. When an electric current passes through two different conductors or semiconductors, heat is absorbed on one side and dissipated on the other, resulting in cooling on the absorbing side. These modules are compact and have no moving parts, making them reliable and quiet compared to traditional cooling methods.
Key characteristics include:
The basic equation governing the cooling effect can be expressed as:
where is the heat absorbed, is the temperature difference, is the current, and is the thermal resistance.
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