Thermal-electric-MHD cooling
View Patent ↗A method for transferring heat from a first location to a second location includes thermoelelectrically transferring heat from the first location to a third location; and transferring heat from the third location to the second location through a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) flow. A cooling system includes a thermoelectric cooling (TEC) component; and a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) component, wherein the MHD component and the TEC component are in thermal contact.
1. A method for transferring heat from a first location to a second location, comprising:
thermoelectrically transferring heat from the first location to a third location and from a fourth location to the second location using a first array of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) modules and a second array of TEC modules, respectively; and
transferring heat from the third location to the fourth location through a magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) flow,
wherein a portion of the MHD flow is disposed through a channel penetrating the second 2-D array of TEC modules along a substantially perpendicular direction to the 2-D array of the TEC modules.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein a first heat transfer rate of thermoelectrically transferring heat is controlled through an amplitude of an electrical current to the first array of TEC modules.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein a second heat transfer rate of transferring heat from the third location to the fourth location is controlled through a flow rate of the MHD flow.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the flow rate of the MHD flow is controlled through at least one of a strength of a magnetic field and an amplitude of an electrical current to an MHD pump.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a second heat transfer rate of transferring heat from the third location to the fourth location is controlled through a ratio of a size of a surface area of an MHD component conducting the MHD flow to a size of a surface area of the first array of TEC modules.
6. A cooling system, comprising:
a first 2-D array of thermoelectric cooling (TEC) modules and a second 2-D array of TEC modules; and
a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) component comprising a MHD channel and an MHD pump for pumping MHD fluid through the MHD channel,
wherein the MHD component is in thermal contact with a hot side of the first 2-D array of TEC components and a cold side of the second 2-D array of TEC components, and
wherein a portion of the MHD channel penetrates the second 2-D array of TEC modules along a substantially perpendicular direction to the 2-D array of the TEC modules.
7. The cooling system of claim 6 , further comprising a power supply for supplying electrical currents to both the TEC components and the MHD component.
8. The cooling system of claim 6 , further comprising a power supply for supplying an electrical current to the TEC components and a power supply for supplying an electrical current to the MHD component.
9. The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the MHD component is in thermal contact with the second 2-D array of TEC modules via a heat sink including a plurality of fins, wherein a portion of the MHD channel is disposed in thermal contact with the plurality of fins of the heat sink.
10. The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the MHD component is adapted for transferring heat from the first array of TEC modules in a direction different from a direction in which the second array of TEC modules transfers heat.
11. The cooling system of claim 6 , wherein the MHD component comprises a flexible material and is adapted to be flexible in heat transfer directions.