APLICATION OF THERMOELECTRIC PHENOMENA TO THE COOLING OF COMPUTER PROCESSOR

      It is know that computer processor operates much better when its temperature is sufficiently low. From this point of view the question can arise,which principle is used for cooling computer processor? Basically there are three relatively simple approaches for cooling computer processor down to the sub-zero temperatures.

 This methods are based on the:

1.  Liquid cooling
2.  Peltiers, or Thermoelectric Cooling
3.  Freon Cooling, or Phase Change Cooling

      Thermoelectric coolers(TECs) are solid state heat pumps used in electronic devices where temperature stabilization and cycling, or cooling below ambient temperature required.There are many electronic device using thermoelectric cooling phenomena: charge coupled devices, laser diodes,microprocessor and blood analizers.

      A thermoelectric cooler utilizes the Peltier effect. This effect basically does the following: when current passes through the junction of two different types of conductors it results in a temperature change, which can be used to make a cooling device. Modern TECs use a number of P & N-type pairs(couples) connected electrically in series and sandwiched between two ceramic plates. When connected to a DC power source, the current causes heat to move from one side of the TEC to the other, thus creating a cold and a hot side. Naturally we would want to place the TEC's cold side on the object we want to cool, and the hot side needs to be cooled by a heatsink.

A view from Thermoelectric Cooler