my DIY nano chiller

[bezz]

Hi Guys,

Thought you might be interested with my latest adventure
Well, a few days ago I bought a can cooler for $35 thinking I could coil some air hose in it to cool my tank water. But it didn't go much as planed and it wasn't even able to drop the tank (1.2ft tank) temperature by 1 degree celsius





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[bezz]

After spending 1-2 sleepless nights wondering why it didn't work...and reading up extensively on Thermoelectric Modules (TEM), I realised my unit may be underpowered especially when the guys over at http://www.shrimpnow.com/forums/showthread.php?t=486

have been extensively working on a peltier chiller and most of the TEM they use are of 30watts or more. Mine on the other hand is only 9watts

So I got frustrated and decided to take the unit apart and construct a unit using the TEM/peltier from my unit.

After thinking long and hard, I decided to settle for the simple way out and used cable tie to bind everything together. I used an aluminium PC heatsink as my conductor to be emersed in tank water.

And the comlpeted chiller







As you can see from the pictures, the chiller managed to get the temperature of the tank on a warm saturday afternoon down to 25 degree celsius from a high of 30-31 degree celsius

I'm working on improving the appearence of my nano chiller now as my GF complains that it looks like something i bought from the rag and bone man...

----------------

Henry

[bezz]

I don't know why the images are not showing...

But to add, when I first completed the unit, I tested it on a small tub of water (about 500ml) and managed to cool that tub of water to about 11 degree celsius.

Needless to say, you should understand my excitment now
Going to get a small container to DIY a casing for my chiller.

[uniphyte2000]

Hi everyone,
At last manage to get in the forum. Been watching this forum for a while! Tried register last time round but was ban before I could get into the forum. Not sure why??? Many thank to kok Leong for suggesting to re-registered with another nick! Thanks bro!

Hi Henry,
I'm here! Hope to get hold of the thermoelectric module soon! What the latest temperature??

Lawrence

[bezz]

it is running at 24 degree celsius last time i check (last night).

[ruyle]

[quote="Henry"]I don't know why the images are not showing... /quote]

Seems like everything after .jpg is extraneous (except [/img]) try deleting
it and see what happens.

Bill

[bezz]

Seems like everything after .jpg is extraneous (except [/img]) try deleting
it and see what happens.

Bill

Thanks alot Bill!
The pics are showing now

Now back to topic...

[TEC Supplier]

Hi -

I am interested in working with members of this forum to develop one or more tailored solutions to your water chilling needs.

My company can supply a wide assortment of thermoelectric modules and components - see http://www.thermoelectricsupplier.com.

Thanks!

Steve Sykes
Managing Director
Pacific Supercool Ltd.
Bangkok, Thailand
[email protected]
www.thermoelectricsupplier.com

[keehoe]

Hi Henry, Lawrence, Steve and all.

Tried that some time ago and handed over my gears to Ron for further testing.

If the combine waltage (voltage and amp) is too high. Might as well get a real chiller.

Peltier is producing too much heat and the unit can only be effective if the heat is remove from the unit fast enough.

Got a wierd Idea. Why don't consider rig it up to a metal rack and use the whole metal rack as heatsink. In some cases the cement floor itself is a very big heat sink just that it doesn't absorb the heat fast enough but if the floor is wet. (This was first brought up by Ron on making a "down to earth" cement tank.) After that all you have to do is to run water through it to warmup the cold side and insulate the tube and tank for greater efficiency.

That should cutdown the need of running another fan (or two) and down the running cost.

Your 9V unit is interesting. Can tell me where you got it? Not big enough to let our fish live forever but enough for them to do their busisness and incubate the results.

I think if i use it in a tank make of the following material (all side or left one side glass). It would give better result. Might have to seal the side to make air-pocket for best result.

Twin-wall polycarbonate ( PC ) sheets
http://www.dama.com.sg/2Product%20listing.html

[keehoe]

Hi -

I am interested in working with members of this forum to develop one or more tailored solutions to your water chilling needs.

My company can supply a wide assortment of thermoelectric modules and components - see http://www.thermoelectricsupplier.com.

Thanks!

Steve Sykes
Managing Director
Pacific Supercool Ltd.
Bangkok, Thailand
[email protected]
www.thermoelectricsupplier.com

Steve, I left this in your forum when i try my luck with peltier.

http://vuesoft.net/users/thermo/foru...topic.php?t=17

Can that be reliably make into a peltier tube? Or we have to settle with 2 stage peltier like what i mention in the forum?

[bezz]

If the combine waltage (voltage and amp) is too high. Might as well get a real chiller.

Your 9V unit is interesting. Can tell me where you got it? Not big enough to let our fish live forever but enough for them to do their busisness and incubate the results.

I think if i use it in a tank make of the following material (all side or left one side glass). It would give better result. Might have to seal the side to make air-pocket for best result.

Twin-wall polycarbonate ( PC ) sheets
http://www.dama.com.sg/2Product%20listing.html

Hi Kee Hoe,

My unit is actually 6V 1.5A hence 9watts.
I bought it from www.landex.com.sg at $35. The good thing about the unit is the power supply and wirings are already connected so no need for me to built a powersupply. Also using the adaptor greatly reduces the heat in my room as compared to a PC powersupply unit.



Hi Steve,

Which unit in your line up would you recommend for use on a fish tank the size of 2ft? I was thinking of the Compact Cold Plate Assembly, is the plate able to be submersed in water without leaching?

Thx

[TEC Supplier]

The cold plate is aluminum - which should not have a problem with fresh water, and which will almost certainly have a problem with salt water.

Best would be to attach to the cold plate an "end effector" that is both a good thermal conductor, and also resistant to corrosion. Hey - solid gold will work quite well!

Cheers!
Steve
TEC Supplier

[keehoe]

If the combine waltage (voltage and amp) is too high. Might as well get a real chiller.

Your 9V unit is interesting. Can tell me where you got it? Not big enough to let our fish live forever but enough for them to do their busisness and incubate the results.

I think if i use it in a tank make of the following material (all side or left one side glass). It would give better result. Might have to seal the side to make air-pocket for best result.

Twin-wall polycarbonate ( PC ) sheets
http://www.dama.com.sg/2Product%20listing.html

Hi Kee Hoe,

My unit is actually 6V 1.5A hence 9watts.
I bought it from www.landex.com.sg at $35. The good thing about the unit is the power supply and wirings are already connected so no need for me to built a powersupply. Also using the adaptor greatly reduces the heat in my room as compared to a PC powersupply unit.



Hi Steve,

Which unit in your line up would you recommend for use on a fish tank the size of 2ft? I was thinking of the Compact Cold Plate Assembly, is the plate able to be submersed in water without leaching?

Thx

Hi Henry, I mean together with the Fans. How many watt is the total system. (Fans + Peltier)

Would be interesting to have a similar system with Fan alone to compare to result. I know someone in Singapore able to get 25C just by using a fan.

[keehoe]

If the combine waltage (voltage and amp) is too high. Might as well get a real chiller.

Your 9V unit is interesting. Can tell me where you got it? Not big enough to let our fish live forever but enough for them to do their busisness and incubate the results.

I think if i use it in a tank make of the following material (all side or left one side glass). It would give better result. Might have to seal the side to make air-pocket for best result.

Twin-wall polycarbonate ( PC ) sheets
http://www.dama.com.sg/2Product%20listing.html

Hi Kee Hoe,

My unit is actually 6V 1.5A hence 9watts.
I bought it from www.landex.com.sg at $35. The good thing about the unit is the power supply and wirings are already connected so no need for me to built a powersupply. Also using the adaptor greatly reduces the heat in my room as compared to a PC powersupply unit.



Hi Steve,

Which unit in your line up would you recommend for use on a fish tank the size of 2ft? I was thinking of the Compact Cold Plate Assembly, is the plate able to be submersed in water without leaching?

Thx

Hi Henry, I mean together with the Fans. How many watt is the total system. (Fans + Peltier)

Would be interesting to have a similar system with Fan alone to compare to result. I know someone in Singapore able to get 25C just by using a fan.

[fragman]

Why not attach the Peltier to the glass of the tank, you may need to get some other conducter(i.e copper) to ensure that there is metal to glass contact.

From what I have read on other boards this seems to work, especially since you're only talking about 5 degrees on a small tank (i assume).

HTH

[keehoe]

You might crack the fish tank. Copper is biological deadly to fish tank. Stay away from copper.

[TyroneGenade]

Stainless steel would be a better option. But you have to take into account surface area and contact time. The longer the contact and the larger the surface area the better the heat conduction. It does still boil down to just how powerful you heat extractor is.

I think the computer fan idea is quite cute and clever.

tt

[fragman]

Copper was just a suggestion, you could just lay down an area of the grease they use on the heastsinks then glue or silicone outside of that. My point was that if you do glue or silicone the peltier to the glass there will be an air void that will cause some loos in efficiency.

I am assuming that you are trying to save some money and not resort to something like an ICE Probe.

[whuntley]

Stainless steel is nearly worthless for heat transfer, which is why all good stainless cookware has a very thin steel bottom with a thick aluminum or copper cladding.

Hard-anodized aluminum is excellent, and it is chemically inert. The usual anodize is a sapphire coating that chemically resists almost anything. Conductive grease (Wakefield Compound?) is a very good idea. If the heat-transfer plate is made somewhat larger than the Peltier device, the edges will have a gradual heat taper, so breaking the glass is quite unlikely at the temps we would use.

Wright

[keehoe]

For a small Nano tank, Ice probe might be too urgly looking. Not sure whether Hard-anodized aluminum is available for consumer product. Know some marine equipment is made of that. It may be too expensive for our purpose.

Whatever the material, it does not have to be very effective. As long as better than ceramic will do the job.

I think standard Aluminium should be good enough. (I think we discuss this before.) With a valency of 4, Aluminium oxide on the surface of any aluminium plate is quite inert.