Mini Refrigerator Units?

[Endeavour]

I'm considering, in a few months from now, a massive 50 Luxeon light. This is a project I've had in mind for a while but have been to busy to work on. It's something I wouldn't mind donating to operation enlightenment if it ever gets done.

As you know, however, that light would be immensely hot.

That leads me to my question: Do any of you know of a small refrigerating unit that I could hook up to a pump for a water cooling system for the heatsink?

Just a passing thought that would be nice to have have answered. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Thanks.

-EM

 

[IlluminatingBikr]

I might check out your local computer store.

 

[tvodrd]

50 stars would be a pretty large array. 50 emitters could sit on a water or fan-cooled copper block as IB suggests. My recollection sucks, but I think there are computer CPU heatsinks that will dissipate well over 100W. You will need provisions to keep the user's fingers out of a hot Delta fan! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Larry

 

[turbodog]

Air cooling can easily handle that much heat. No water to leak/etc. Consider this... I just cut my grass. My mower has a 27 hp engine. Say it's 50% efficient so it's burning 54 hp worth of fuel. So 54HP * 743W/HP = 40,122 watts give or take. Air cooling works just fine.

 

[Endeavour]

Sure would - I just want to keep the unit as self contained as possible, I'd prefer to not use any fans to keep the case waterproof. If that doesn't work, fans it is. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Neg2LED]

how about some Peltier elements?

neg

 

[raggie33]

maybe even the pelts outa them mini cooolers they have pelts in them and there cheap?

 

[tvodrd]

[ QUOTE ]
Neg2LED said:
how about some Peltier elements?

neg

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem with active cooling is you have to "pump" the heat somewhere- usually the atmosphere. Watercooling a light sounds cool until you find you need a fan to move air through the radiator. Pelts have to have their hot side cooled- either water (with forced air through a radiator) or forced air through a heatsink. Sometimes entropy just ain't fast enough. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

Larry

 

[Neg2LED]

Big Big Big passive heatsink /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

neg

 

[brickbat]

Yep, big heatsink is the way to go. The dirty little secret of Peltier coolers is that they are horribly inefficient. And any heat pump device (Peltier or conventional refrigeration fluid cycle) has a drawback in that you now have to dissipate all the heat of the device you were trying to cool (the LEDs in this case) along with the energy consumed by the pump. Peltier coolers typically require several watts of input power per watt of 'pumped' heat. So in order to get rid of the heat from a 1 watt LED, you now have 3 watts of heat on the hot side of the peltier to dissipate. They are generally only practical if you need to cool something below ambient temperature.

 

[L3]

turbodog,

The mower to which you refer is rated for 2.7 HP, is it not?

L3