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DIY Project: Fermentation Dip Chiller

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  • DIY Project: Fermentation Dip Chiller

    In my quest to have a means to run a second concurrent ferment, I have been working on a peltier module powered chiller that can be fitted in a hole in the middle of a fermenter lid. Hit a little snag, but this is where I am at so far:

    -Stainless outer tube
    -copper tube and fittings for rest of system
    -automotive windscreen wiper pump
    -cheap Chinese water cooling dual peltier unit with heat sink and cooling fans.
    -steel bracket to hold all components and switches

    IMG_20181121_094803.jpg

    IMG_20181121_094735.jpg

    After putting it all together and hitting the power, the heat sink just got insanely hot with the cooling block not getting very cool at all. Thought I had burnt the module out but I tried running it at just 6 volts where it just reached moderate heat and the cooling block got down to a decent 8 deg.

    I just need to get the full 12v of cooling power out of the unit so am replacing the heat sinks with two (relatively) ginormous CPU cooler units and hoping that will do the magic.
    Cheers,
    Lang
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

  • #2
    Peltier modules create a constant temperature difference between two sides - so the colder you can make the hot side, the colder the cold side will become. I would rather recommend keeping the voltage low to prevent overheating.

    Why don't you get a small, cheap AIO water cooler that runs off 12V to cool the hot side? Looks good and works well by immediately removing the heat away from the module, better than a massive air heatsink. You can even plug the pump and fan into the same voltage controller - the higher the volts the more the fan will cool the rad and the more the pump will pump to keep it cool.

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    • #3
      Just got my little CPU coolers delivered from Takealot 5 minutes ago...

      cpu.PNG

      A little smaller than expected, but it will definately be better than the current little cooling setup



      Peltier modules create a constant temperature difference between two sides - so the colder you can make the hot side, the colder the cold side will become. I would rather recommend keeping the voltage low to prevent overheating.
      I hear you, and i was considering this but in crude terms, (and I am sure scientifically inaccurate) if I halve the voltage I am going to halve the cooling capability of the peltier and hence halve the temperature difference and would need to double to cooling capacity on the hot side with just a fan and a heat sink, which is harder to do the closer you get to ambient.

      Luckily I have a little variable voltage power supply so I can just experiment with a few options and see what setup makes the block coldest


      Why don't you get a small, cheap AIO water cooler that runs off 12V to cool the hot side? Looks good and works well by immediately removing the heat away from the module, better than a massive air heatsink. You can even plug the pump and fan into the same voltage controller - the higher the volts the more the fan will cool the rad and the more the pump will pump to keep it cool.


      Would have been a good option to consider if:

      A. I knew this sooner
      B. It included a peltier module (I think some of the more expensive ones have this) and I could integrate the cooling fluid into my chiller

      I am not seeing though how it can be much better than a fins-and-fan heatsink? Isnt the water tubing just pretty much relocating where the fins-and-fan cooling is done?
      Cheers,
      Lang
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

      Comment


      • #4
        Nope I'm wrong:

        From http://www.procooling.com/html/pelt-tech.shtml :

        The cooling power of a peltier is proportional to the current thru it, but the internal heat caused is proportional to the square of the current. Eventually the square wins over linear, and at some point adding more current actually decreases the overall cooling capability. Put another way, the incremental current causes more internal heating than additional cooling power to get rid of that heat. This is what the maximum cooling point is, and which is why you don't want to exceed it even if no damage is done.
        So sounds like I just need to experiment and find that sweet spot.
        Cheers,
        Lang
        ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
        "Dudddde...Hold my beer!".... ; "I wonder what will happen if I ...."

        Comment

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