Electronic Water Cooler?

[bhong2002]

hi,

Anyone have an idea of electronic water cooler ???

thanks

 

[dknguyen]

If you want a totally electric solution, the only way I know of is peltier coolers. They draw heat from one side of the device to the other and are solid-state devices. BUT they are very very inefficient and the hot side gets VERY VERY hot. They also move heat faster than they can dissipate it so you also need fans on the hot side to cool it...totally impractical for most scenarios due power requirements, and the fact that a 1"x1" block of the semiconductor material is already super expensive.

You need a vapour-phase refigeration system (ie. a refridgerator). Maybe there are others ways....Not sure how water coolers get the water cold as it pours out so quickly.

Or are you just looking for an electronic thermostat for the water cooler mechanism? It's not really needed for a water cooler...

 

[bhong2002]

thanks, i was just thinking how the small water dispenser(with filter) from china does have a small aparatus inside to make cool some glass of water.

 

[justDIY]

another fun method of refrigeration here!

 

[The Mad Professor]

I like the sound of the acoustic idea lol.

Did find a peltier / usb cooler
https://www.coolitsystems.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=84#

 

[bhong2002]

that's cool site ,,

anything??,,, still surfing for this ideas,,, thanks

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

that's cool site ,,

anything??,,, still surfing for this ideas,,, thanks

Never seen or heard of the water filter you're talking about?, but heating something is EASY, you can simple input energy in the form of electricity and heat an element. Cooling something isn't anywhere near as easy, because you need to remove energy, not add it - generally it's done with a heat pump, where the heat is pumped out and radiated away.

A peltier device does just that,absorbs heat on one side, and radiates it on the other, but it's a non-mechanical heat pump - essentially you get a temperature difference between the two sides.

 

[bhong2002]

actually, it is a mini water dispenser(i buy it from the show) having a warm, hot & cold water faucet made from china, i wonder coz i dont see a compressor inside, one thing i've notice is that there's a small box having a fan(like a computer processor fan), i never attempt to open the box because it is under warranty at this time.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Probably a peltier device?.

 

[justDIY]

peltier is the easiest way to go, and the least efficient

you need a "water block", which is a heat exchanger... energy from the water is extracted by a copper or aluminum block that has channels inside it. the peltier heatpump then removes the heat energy from the block.

check out some auction sites for a used peltier waterblock CPU cooler, wash it out really good, and plumb it into your water supply ... then just hook up a beefy power supply to the peltier, either with microprocessor control or a simple comparator and thermal probe.

The systems I've seen use a small 0.5 gal (or less) reservoir to store the chilled water, constantly circuilating it through the water block... since just one pass isn't going to remove much heat.

The peltier will also heat your water for you, just reverse the polarity and the cold side now gets very hot - use an H-bridge and you can do both with one setup.

 

[lord loh.]

How much can it cool? can it cool water to 4c?

 

[Oznog]

How much can it cool? can it cool water to 4c?

Yes, technically. It depends on how cold you can keep the hot side and how fast you want to cool that water. It's going to be very slow and/or take a lot of power. The rate at which the cold side water's temp drops is basically inversely proportional to the temp difference between the hot and cold side. So it takes far longer to cool water to 4C than it does to 15C.

As an example of the scale, I had a small Peltier, like 1"x1", mounted on a thick piece of aluminum, that would freeze a drop of water in a few seconds. Having it take in 25C water and output to a cup at 4C would seem like a few drops per second.

Using the hot side of the Peltier to make hot water sounds ideal, but in practice allowing the hot side to actually get hot will mean it can't make cold effectively anymore.

 

[bhong2002]

Probably a peltier device?.

i am not sure if it is, because i didn't seen inside of the box.

Yes, technically. It depends on how cold you can keep the hot side and how fast you want to cool that water. It's going to be very slow and/or take a lot of power. The rate at which the cold side water's temp drops is basically inversely proportional to the temp difference between the hot and cold side. So it takes far longer to cool water to 4C than it does to 15C.

As an example of the scale, I had a small Peltier, like 1"x1", mounted on a thick piece of aluminum, that would freeze a drop of water in a few seconds. Having it take in 25C water and output to a cup at 4C would seem like a few drops per second.

Using the hot side of the Peltier to make hot water sounds ideal, but in practice allowing the hot side to actually get hot will mean it can't make cold effectively anymore.

i think you're idea is right,

How much can it cool? can it cool water to 4c?

yes it is.....

peltier is the easiest way to go, and the least efficient

you need a "water block", which is a heat exchanger... energy from the water is extracted by a copper or aluminum block that has channels inside it. the peltier heatpump then removes the heat energy from the block.

check out some auction sites for a used peltier waterblock CPU cooler, wash it out really good, and plumb it into your water supply ... then just hook up a beefy power supply to the peltier, either with microprocessor control or a simple comparator and thermal probe.

The systems I've seen use a small 0.5 gal (or less) reservoir to store the chilled water, constantly circuilating it through the water block... since just one pass isn't going to remove much heat.

The peltier will also heat your water for you, just reverse the polarity and the cold side now gets very hot - use an H-bridge and you can do both with one setup.

hhmmm,, so, i may be use it to make a home made airconditioning with small water pump to rotate the water through alluminum rods with the 2pcs. PC power supply fan..... what do you think?

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

i am not sure if it is, because i didn't seen inside of the box.

Couldn't be much else?, you also mentioned a PC fan at the base? - that will be cooling the hot side of the peltier device, it's probably just a standard processor heatsink/fan assembly stuck on the peltier?.

 

[bhong2002]

Couldn't be much else?, you also mentioned a PC fan at the base? - that will be cooling the hot side of the peltier device, it's probably just a standard processor heatsink/fan assembly stuck on the peltier?.

hayaa,,

because i am confuse with it, i'll open it earlier(even it is under warranty ) you're right, it is a peltier.. but bigger than to the standard processors peltier...
now i know the answer to my own question

i want to play this thing making a mini airconditioning...

thanks to all of you

 

[justDIY]

that will never work

the fault in your idea is, the peltier is not an efficient heat pump, no where near it in fact ... far more energy is required to transfer the heat, than is actually moved per instance of time.

so even if it feels like you're getting cool air from some sort of heat exchanger in front on a fan, you're actually heating the air ... you have the heat the unit removed from the air + the heat from the semiconductors, both need to be vented into the room... so you're heating the air in your room, not cooling it.

just think about a real air conditioner sitting on a table, with the exhaust and output both in the same room ... that room will soon grow very hot, regardless of the setting on the air conditioner.

 

[bhong2002]

thanks for some advice ,,, maybe i should do some divider for the heat side and for the cold side of the peltier secured by a sealant, and the heat side having a fan for the exhaust going to my outdoor? (heat & cold side has a separate fan)....

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

thanks for some advice ,,, maybe i should do some divider for the heat side and for the cold side of the peltier secured by a sealant, and the heat side having a fan for the exhaust going to my outdoor? (heat & cold side has a separate fan)....

You might also consider the difference between cooling a small quantity of water, and cooling an entire room? - the peltier device will be MUCH, MUCH, MUCH too small and make no noticeable difference.

 

[bhong2002]

you're right , what if i have a 5 gallon reservoir? with a small aquarium water pump?,,, my main consideration is a peltier,,,it can be overused?


thanks Sir Nigel fo continous replies

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

you're right , what if i have a 5 gallon reservoir? with a small aquarium water pump?,,, my main consideration is a peltier,,,it can be overused?

It won't have enough power, it's got to remove heat FASTER than the surrounding temperature can warm it back up - presumably it's already designed to cool as much water as it can?.