Heat pump device and assembly
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat pumps and heat sink assemblies for thermal cycling of chemical or biological samples suffer from uneven temperature distributions and thermal conductivity issues due to clamping pressures altering the thermal conductivity properties of materials, leading to inconsistent heating and cooling.
Innovation Solution
A heat pump design featuring a thermally conductive slab with a raised central region surrounded by voids to improve thermal resistance, and optionally including supports of lower thermal conductivity to maintain structural support while enhancing thermal resistance, ensuring uniform temperature distribution during thermal cycling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If clamping pressure is applied to ensure thermal contact between heat sink and thermoelectric devices, then thermal contact is improved, but thermal conductivity becomes uneven and temperature distribution becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink features a raised central region with different geometry than the periphery, creating local structural variation. This raised central region contacts the thermoelectric devices more effectively in the center while reducing edge effects, thereby achieving more uniform temperature distribution across the sample block despite applied clamping pressure.
2Temperature
If conventional heat sink design is used, then manufacturing is simple, but temperature distribution remains non-uniform with edge losses
Solution Approach 1:
The heat sink is segmented into distinct regions: a raised central region and a peripheral region, potentially with trenches or voids. This segmentation allows different parts of the heat sink to serve different thermal functions, improving overall temperature uniformity by addressing edge losses separately from central heat transfer.
Solution Approach 2:
The heat sink employs asymmetric geometry with a raised central region that is elevated relative to the peripheral areas. This asymmetric design intentionally creates different thermal pathways and contact pressures across the heat sink surface, compensating for natural edge effects and improving temperature distribution uniformity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a 35-40% reduction in thermal non-uniformity, providing more consistent and precise temperature control across the sample block, thereby improving the thermal cycling process.
Implementation Method 1
a thermally conductive slab with a raised central region that is specially shaped to compensate for an uneven distribution of thermal conductivity
Implementation Method 2
The central region can be surrounded by one or more voids, typically a single continuous void circumscribing the central raised region to improve thermal resistance
Data Source
AI summary
A heat pump that includes a thermoelectric device(s) and a heat sink having a raised portion with a top surface for thermally coupling with a planar face of the thermoelectric device(s). The raised portion of the heat sink includes an outer periphery and a raised central region surrounded by a void region to provide more uniform thermal conductivity when clamped within an assembly. The raised central region is shaped in an any shape corresponding to a shape of uneven thermal conductivity due to clamping pressure applied to the heat sink. The void region can be substantially contiguous and entirely circumscribe the central raised region. The device can optionally include discrete supports formed of a less thermally-conductive material within the void region. The supports can be elastomeric, such as O-rings, and disposed within pockets defined within the void region.