Mini Peltier Air Conditioner (Plans)

This Instructable will show you how to make a environmental friendly portable air conditioner. This machine uses a Peltier Module as a cooling  mechanism and some cooling fans for blowing air.

Step 1: Here Is a Picture How It Works

This is just like the everyday air conditioner that we use. The only thing unique about this that the cooling unit has no moving parts. The only moving parts here are the PC fans.

Step 2: Needed Parts, Tools and Materials

This page shows you the things that you need that you need to buid this machine.

Step 3: Ilustration

Step 4: Notes Before Starting

Step 5: Electrical Wiring

Step 6: Attaching the Heat Sinks

Put epoxy on both sides of the peltier module and connect the heat sinks together.
Note: Copper paste would be better.

Step 7: Attaching the Fans

Put epoxy on the heat sinks and connect the two PC fans to the heat sinks.

Step 8: Attaching the Wood

Attach the wood with epoxy.

Step 9: Attaching the Wood and the Metal Net

Use Epoxy

Step 10: Attaching the Wood

Use epoxy.

Step 11:

Step 12: What It Looks Like

Step 13: How to Use It

Use the tube for better ventilation.

Comments

[snowluck2345]

a good improvement would be to water cool the hotside of the peliter and to put the radiator outside. peltiers use alot of electricity, they use 100w to move 100w of heat roughly.

[Phương BìnhN]

great!

[charles5433]

Sounds like you have overloaded your current source.

[AsanyaC]

Hello sir,
I tried building a peltier module using TEC12706 but after attaching the materials together, with a 12V cooling fan and a 12V 3A adapter. I found both heatsinks getting warm. I was supposed to use it as a cooler. Please sir, what could be the cause of the malfunction?

[charles5433]

The wires are in a series circuit. One fuse will stop all current.

[ReeceB12]

First of all, you should probably have a more powerful adapter than 3A because one peltier would draw around ~3A and two will draw around 6. One reason that you find that both sides are getting hot is because you do not have a big engof heatsink on the hot side and not having a big enough heatsink will cause your peltier module to burn out very quickly. A good size to have on the hot side is about 4 or 5 times as big a heatsink than on the cold side.

[jthomas7105]

Why is there 2 different styles of heat sinks? Can you not use the same type on top and bottom?

[alherrle]

Please consider adding a fuse on both positive and negative wires close to the battery

[VarunM66]

Instead of and air conditioner use Peltier to make a freezer. It's much more effective.

[steveastrouk]

I am a professional designer and user of TEC/Peltier modules

This instructable, whilst very enthusiastic, and very nicely illustrated won't work as advertised. Moving HEAT is not the same as creating a temperature difference.  A Peltier cell will only create a maximum delta T of about 50 C, and pump NO heat, or it will pump its "rated power" at ZERO delta T. In truth, getting 25 C at half power, in normal ambients is doing well.

Real airconditioners can cool more than their electrical input, Peltier cells can't technically, the Coefficient of performance of a real aircon is >> 100%, for a TEC< 100%.

[MonsieurDudu]

Peltier have an average efficiency of 15 to 20% while standard A/C are about 60%

the only advantage of one using a peltier A/C over a pump one i the reduction of moving part (thus long term reliability) and possible noise reduction caused by the pump, but they could have improved that since i still run an hold 1995 A/C :)

[corradini]

There's also size, complexity, and capital cost (vs. operating cost). For larger-scale operations, traditional cycled A/C is generally more appropriate; for smaller, portable, and/or other applications a peltier often makes good engineering and/or economic sense.

[gn0stik]

Doesn't a device with COP > 100% break the laws of thermodynamics? Seems like if that were true, you'd be able to harvest the difference in output to power the system, which... you obviously cannot.

[TrygveL]

At least in theory it should be possible to make a heatpump power-plant. The energy is absorbed from the surroundings. The problem is to make enough heat to run a small power-plant with losses here and there, with a fairly expensive setup(compared to potential production).

A heatpump regularly has a COP above 3, for heating purposes(1 part electric=3+ parts heat output, depending on outside temperature).

[steveastrouk]

Its easier to point you at Wikipedia than to explain here, but suffice to say, no, thermodynamics isn't violated. ........

[KodiY]

hello friend may i know the use of epoxy and metal net used in this

please let me know this

[e-mail]

[an.Objectivist]

Hi, As we know peltiers are only 15 to 20% efficient as compared to A/C refrigrant gas type, but what if Peltiers are used as Heat pump inplace of compressors in A/C units. Yes they will consume more energy, but where is the problem?? We can use free energy to supply it that power. The Renewable energy source, Yes!! The sun. We can use Solar panel + invertors + Peltier TEC and can make such an assembly which can circulate water through cold and hot side of peltier. The we can run that water through Cooling coils as is done in normal AC. The more the sunlight/heat we get more will be energy produced and more heat will our TEC pump out of the room. In Areas where there is hot temperature.... This will prove very effective!!!! and you don't have to pay any electricity bill too. Just some intial investment in Solar panel, panel invertor and TEC A/C assembly.
We can call it - SOLAR THERMOELECTRIC AIR CONDITIONER. :) :) :)

If you want to know how to build one!!! contact: [e-mail]

[Klimatizator]

How would you build such a device?

[ronemathew]

wow nice idea

[deadmonkey01]

Please don't epoxy directly to the peltier device!!
Use heat paste where the heat sink comes in contact with the devices. Not doing this will most likely kill your device as soon as it reaches the temp threshold for your particular peltier module.