KR20180091185A - Heat exchange apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat exchange apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element; a heat transferring member arranged on one surface of the thermoelectric element; and a middle layer arranged between the thermoelectric element and the heat transferring member, wherein the thermoelectric element comprises: a lower portion substrate; an upper portion substrate arranged on the lower portion substrate; a plurality of legs arranged between the lower portion substrate and the upper portion substrate; a lower portion electrode connecting the leg with the lower portion substrate; and an upper portion electrode connecting the leg with the lower portion substrate. The middle layer includes a heat transferring material and a phase changing material, and a melting point of the phase changing material satisfies following equation.

Description

HEAT EXCHANGE APPARATUS

An embodiment relates to a heat exchange apparatus.

Thermoelectric phenomenon is a phenomenon caused by the movement of electrons and holes inside a material, which means direct energy conversion between heat and electricity.

Thermoelectric elements are collectively referred to as elements utilizing thermoelectric phenomenon and have a structure in which a p-type thermoelectric material and an n-type thermoelectric material are bonded between metal electrodes to form a PN junction pair.

A thermoelectric element is a device using a temperature change of electrical resistance, a device using a Seebeck effect that generates an electromotive force due to a temperature difference, a device using a Feltier effect, And the like.

Thermoelectric devices are widely applied to household appliances, electronic components, and communication components. For example, a thermoelectric element can be applied to a cooling device, a heating device, a power generation device, and the like. As a result, there is a growing demand for thermoelectric performance of thermoelectric elements.

Such a thermoelectric element can be applied to a heat exchange device in combination with a heat transfer member or the like that transfers heat to a thermoelectric element by releasing or absorbing heat for a proper heat transfer.

At this time, when the thermoelectric element is adhered to another member such as a heat transfer member, contact failure may occur due to the surface roughness at the contact interface, thereby reducing the contact area and deteriorating the characteristics of the heat exchanger ..

Accordingly, there is a demand for a heat exchanger having a new structure that can solve the above problems.

The embodiment attempts to provide a heat exchanger having improved characteristics.

The heat exchanging apparatus according to the embodiment includes a thermoelectric element; A heat transfer member disposed on one surface of the thermoelectric element; And an intermediate layer disposed between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, wherein the thermoelectric element comprises: a lower substrate; An upper substrate disposed on the lower substrate; A plurality of legs disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate; A lower electrode connecting the leg and the lower substrate; And an upper electrode connecting the leg and the lower substrate, wherein the intermediate layer includes a heat transfer material and a phase change material, and the melting point of the phase change material satisfies the following equation.

[Equation]

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 8 ℃ ≤ Melting point of second material ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 16 ℃

The heat exchanger according to the embodiment may include an intermediate layer including a phase change material between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member.

Accordingly, when bonding the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, the inside of the concave / convex pattern formed at the bonding interface between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member can be filled with the phase change material. That is, the surface roughness of the bonding interface between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member can be reduced.

As a result, the contact area between the thermoelectric element and the intermediate layer, the heat transfer member and the intermediate layer can be increased, and the reliability of bonding can be improved.

Further, by reducing the pore at the bonding interface, the thermal conductivity can be improved by improving the thermal conductivity in the intermediate layer, and the overall characteristics of the heat exchange device can be improved.

For example, when the heat exchanger is applied as a cooling module, it is possible to increase the amount of heat dissipation of the heat transfer member to improve the temperature of the cooling temperature. In addition, when the heat exchanger is used as a power generation module, the heat transfer of the heat transfer member can be improved, and the temperature difference inside the thermoelectric device can be increased, so that the power generation amount can be increased.

1 is a perspective view of a thermoelectric device of a heat exchanger according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a cross-sectional view of a thermoelectric device of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment.
3 to 5 are views showing a thermoelectric leg of a laminated structure.
6 is a flowchart showing a process for producing a sintered body for a thermoelectric leg according to an embodiment.
7 to 9 are views showing a cross-sectional view of the heat exchanger.
10 is an enlarged view of the area A in Fig.
11 to 14 are views for explaining the manufacturing process of the heat exchanger.
15 to 18 are views for explaining another manufacturing process of the heat exchanger.
19 to 21 are views for explaining another manufacturing process of the heat exchanger.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms including ordinal, such as second, first, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component. And / or < / RTI > includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

The heat exchanger according to the embodiment may include a thermoelectric element 1000 and a heat transfer member 2000. The thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 may be bonded through the intermediate layer 3000. The heat transfer member 2000 may include a heat sink.

The intermediate layer 3000 will be described in detail below.

Fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the thermoelectric element, and Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the thermoelectric element.

1 and 2, the thermoelectric element 1000 includes a lower substrate 110, a lower electrode 120, a P-type thermoelectric leg 130, an N-type thermoelectric leg 140, an upper electrode 150, And may include a substrate 160 and a fixing member 200.

The lower electrode 120 may be disposed between the lower substrate 110 and the lower surface of the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140. The upper electrode 150 may be disposed between the upper substrate 160 and the upper bottom surface of the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140.

Accordingly, the plurality of P-type thermoelectric legs 130 and the plurality of N-type thermoelectric legs 140 may be electrically connected by the lower electrode 120 and the upper electrode 150. A pair of P-type thermoelectric legs 130 and N-type thermoelectric legs 140, which are disposed between the lower electrode 120 and the upper electrode 150 and are electrically connected to each other, may form a unit cell.

For example, when a voltage is applied to the lower electrode 120 and the upper electrode 150 through the lead wires 181 and 182, the P-type thermoelectric conversion element 130 is turned off from the N-type thermoelectric leg 130 The substrate on which current flows through the N-type thermoelectric legs 140 to the P-type thermoelectric legs 130 can be heated to act as a heat generating portion.

Here, the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140 may be bismuth telluride (Bi-Te) thermoelectric legs containing bismuth (Bi) and tellurium (Te) as main raw materials.

The P-type thermoelectric leg 130 may be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of Sb, Ni, Al, Cu, Ag, Pb, B, 99 to 99.999% by weight of a bismuth telluride (Bi-Te) base material containing at least one of gallium (Ga), tellurium (Te), bismuth (Bi) and indium It may be a thermoelectric leg comprising from 0.001 wt% to 1 wt% of the mixture. For example, the base material may be Bi-Sb-Te and Bi or Te in an amount of 0.001 wt% to 1 wt% of the total weight.

The n-type thermoelectric transducer 140 may be formed of at least one selected from the group consisting of Se, Ni, Al, Cu, Ag, Pb, B, 99 to 99.999% by weight of a bismuth telluride (Bi-Te) base material containing at least one of gallium (Ga), tellurium (Te), bismuth (Bi) and indium It may be a thermoelectric leg comprising from 0.001 wt% to 1 wt% of the mixture. For example, the base material may be Bi-Se-Te and further contain Bi or Te in an amount of 0.001 wt% to 1 wt% of the total weight.

The P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140 may be formed in a bulk or laminated form. Generally, the bulk type P-type thermoelectric leg 130 or the bulk N-type thermoelectric leg 140 is manufactured by heat-treating the thermoelectric material to produce an ingot, pulverizing and sieving the ingot to obtain a thermoelectric leg powder, Sintered body, and cutting the sintered body. The laminated P-type thermoelectric leg 130 or the laminated N-type thermoelectric leg 140 is formed by applying a paste containing a thermoelectric material on a sheet-shaped substrate to form a unit member, then stacking and cutting the unit member Can be obtained.

At this time, the pair of the P-type thermoelectric legs 130 and the N-type thermoelectric legs 140 may have the same shape and volume, or may have different shapes and volumes. Since the electrical conduction characteristics of the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140 are different from each other, the height or the cross-sectional area of the N-type thermoelectric leg 140 may be set to a height or a cross- May be formed differently.

The performance of a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention can be represented by a Gebeck index. The whiteness index (ZT) can be expressed by Equation (1).

[Equation 1]

Here, α is the Seebeck coefficient [V / K], σ is the electric conductivity [S / m], and α2σ is the power factor (W / mK2). T is the temperature, and k is the thermal conductivity [W / mK]. k can be expressed as a · cp · ρ, where a is the thermal diffusivity [cm2 / S], cp is the specific heat [J / gK], and ρ is the density [g / cm3].

In order to obtain the whiteness index of the thermoelectric element, the Z value (V / K) is measured using a Z meter, and the Zebek index (ZT) can be calculated using the measured Z value.

Here, the lower electrode 120 disposed between the lower substrate 110 and the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the N-type thermoelectric leg 140, and the upper substrate 160 and the P- The upper electrode 150 disposed between the n-type thermoelectric leg 130 and the n-type thermoelectric leg 140 includes at least one of copper (Cu), silver (Ag), and nickel (Ni) Thickness.

If the thickness of the lower electrode 120 or the upper electrode 150 is less than 0.01 mm, the function as an electrode may be deteriorated and the electric conduction performance may be lowered. If the thickness is more than 0.3 mm, .

The lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160, which are opposed to each other, may be an insulating substrate or a metal substrate.

The insulating substrate may be an alumina substrate or a polymer resin substrate having flexibility. The flexible polymer resin substrate having flexibility has high permeability such as polyimide (PI), polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), cyclic olefin copoly (COC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) Plastic, and the like.

The metal substrate may include Cu, a Cu alloy, or a Cu-Al alloy, and the thickness thereof may be 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. When the thickness of the metal substrate is less than 0.1 mm or exceeds 0.5 mm, the heat radiation characteristic or the thermal conductivity may become excessively high, so that the reliability of the thermoelectric device may be deteriorated.

In the case where the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 are metal substrates, a gap between the lower substrate 110 and the lower electrode 120 and between the upper substrate 160 and the upper electrode 150 The dielectric layer 170 may be further disposed.

The dielectric layer 170 includes a material having a thermal conductivity of 5 to 10 W / K, and may be formed to a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.15 mm. If the thickness of the dielectric layer 170 is less than 0.01 mm, the insulation efficiency or withstanding voltage characteristics may be deteriorated. If the thickness exceeds 0.15 mm, the thermal conductivity may be lowered and the thermal efficiency may be lowered.

At this time, the sizes of the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 may be different. For example, the volume, thickness, or area of one of the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 may be greater than the other volume, thickness, or area. Thus, the heat absorption performance or the heat radiation performance of the thermoelectric element can be enhanced.

In addition, a heat radiation pattern, for example, a concavo-convex pattern may be formed on at least one surface of the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160. Thus, the heat radiation performance of the thermoelectric element can be enhanced. When the concavo-convex pattern is formed on the surface contacting the P-type thermoelectric leg 130 or the N-type thermoelectric leg 140, the junction characteristics between the thermoelectric leg and the substrate can be improved.

The thermoelectric leg according to an embodiment of the present invention may have a laminated structure. For example, the P-type thermoelectric leg or the N-type thermoelectric leg may be formed by stacking a plurality of structures coated with a semiconductor material on a sheet-like base material and then cutting the same. Thus, it is possible to prevent the loss of the material and improve the electric conduction characteristic.

3 shows a method of manufacturing a thermoelectric leg of a laminated structure.

Referring to FIG. 3, a material including a semiconductor material is formed into a paste and then coated on a substrate 1110 such as a sheet or a film to form a semiconductor layer 1120. Accordingly, one unit member 1100 can be formed.

A plurality of unit members 1100a, 1100b, and 1100c are laminated to form a laminated structure 1200, and the unit thermoelectric leg 1300 can be obtained by cutting the unit structure.

As described above, the unit thermoelectric leg 1300 can be formed by a structure in which a plurality of unit members 1100 in which a semiconductor layer 1120 is formed on a substrate 1110 are laminated.

Here, the step of applying the paste on the substrate 1110 can be performed in various ways. For example, by a tape casting method. The tape casting method comprises mixing a powder of a fine semiconductor material with at least one selected from the group consisting of an aqueous or non-aqueous solvent, a binder, a plasticizer, a dispersant, a defoamer and a surfactant to form a slurry (slurry), and then molding on a moving blade or moving substrate. At this time, the substrate 1110 may be a film, a sheet, or the like having a thickness of 10 to 100 μm. As the semiconductor material to be applied, the P-type thermoelectric material or the N-type thermoelectric material for manufacturing the above-described bulk-type device may be directly applied.

The step of laminating the unit member 1100 in a plurality of layers may be performed by a method of pressing at a temperature of 50 ° C to 250 ° C. The number of the unit members 110 to be laminated is, for example, 2 to 50 . Thereafter, it can be cut into a desired shape and size, and a sintering process can be added.

The unit thermoelectric legs 1300 thus manufactured can ensure uniformity in thickness, shape, and size, and are advantageous in that they are thin and can reduce loss of materials.

The unit thermoelectric leg 1300 may have a cylindrical shape, a polygonal columnar shape, an elliptical columnar shape, or the like, and may be cut into a shape as illustrated in FIG. 3 (d).

On the other hand, a conductive layer may be further formed on one surface of the unit member 1100 in order to manufacture the thermoelectric leg of the laminated structure.

Figure 4 illustrates a conductive layer formed between unitary members in the stacked structure of Figure 3;

Referring to FIG. 4, the conductive layer C may be formed on the opposite side of the substrate 1110 on which the semiconductor layer 1120 is formed, and may be patterned such that a part of the surface of the substrate 1110 is exposed.

4 shows various modifications of the conductive layer (C) according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figs. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the mesh type structure including the closed-type opening patterns c1 and c2 or the mesh type structure including the open- A line-type structure including open-type opening patterns c3 and c4, and the like.

The conductive layer (C) can increase the adhesion between the unit members in the unit thermoelectric legs formed by the laminated structure of the unit members, lower the thermal conductivity between the unit members, and improve the electrical conductivity. The conductive layer (C) may be a metal material, for example, Cu, Ag, Ni or the like.

On the other hand, the unit thermoelectric leg 1300 may be cut in a direction as shown in Fig. According to this structure, the thermal conduction efficiency in the vertical direction can be lowered and the electric conduction characteristic can be improved, so that the cooling efficiency can be improved.

Meanwhile, the thermoelectric leg according to the embodiment of the present invention can be manufactured according to a zone melting method or a powder sintering method. According to the zone melting method, an ingot is produced using a thermoelectric material, refined to heat the ingot slowly in a single direction, and slowly cooled to obtain a thermoelectric leg. According to the powder sintering method, an ingot is produced using a thermoelectric material, and then the ingot is pulverized and sieved to obtain a thermoelectric material powder, and the thermoelectric material is obtained by sintering the thermoelectric material.

6 is a flowchart showing a method of manufacturing a sintered body for a thermoelectric leg according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, the thermoelectric material is heat-treated to produce an ingot (S100). The thermoelectric material may include Bi, Te and Se. For example, the thermoelectric material may include Bi2Te3-ySey (0.1 < y < 0.4). On the other hand, the steam pressure of Bi is 10 Pa at 768 캜, the steam pressure of Te is 104 Pa at 769 캜, and the steam pressure of Se is 105 Pa at 685 캜. Therefore, the vapor pressure of Te and Se is high at a general melting temperature (600 to 800 ° C), and the volatility is high. Therefore, at the time of manufacturing the thermoelectric leg, weighing can be performed taking into account at least one of volatilization of Te and Se. That is, at least one of Te and Se may be added in an amount of 1 to 10 parts by weight. For example, Te and Se may be further added in an amount of 1 to 10 parts by weight based on 100 parts by weight of Bi2Te3-ySey (0.1 < y < 0.4)

Next, the ingot is pulverized (S110). At this time, the ingot may be pulverized according to a melt spinning technique. Thus, a thermoelectric material of the flaky flakes can be obtained.

Next, the thermoelectric material of the flaky flakes is milled together with the doping additive (S120). For this purpose, for example, a super mixer, a ball mill, an attrition mill, a 3 roll mill, or the like can be used. Here, the additive for doping may include, for example, Cu and Bi2O3. At this time, the thermoelectric material including Bi, Te and Se contains 99.4 to 99.98 wt% of Cu, 0.01 to 0.1 wt% of Cu, and Bi2O3 of 0.01 to 0.5 wt%, preferably Bi, Te and Se The thermoelectric material containing 99.47 to 99.98 wt% of thermoelectric material, 0.01 to 0.07 wt% of Cu, and 0.01 to 0.45 wt% of Bi2O3, more preferably 99.67 to 99.98 wt% of thermoelectric material containing Bi, Te and Se, Is added in a composition ratio of 0.01 to 0.03 wt%, and Bi2O3 is added in a composition ratio of 0.01 to 0.30 wt%, and then milled.

Next, sieving is performed to obtain a powder for thermoelectric legs (S130). However, the screening process is added as needed and is not an essential process in the embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the powder for thermoelectric legs may have a particle size of, for example, micrometers.

Next, the thermoelectric leg powder is sintered (S140). The thermosetting leg can be manufactured by cutting the sintered body obtained by the sintering process. The sintering may be carried out at 400 to 550 ° C under a condition of 35 to 60 MPa for 1 to 30 minutes using, for example, SPS (Spark Plasma Sintering) equipment, or by using a hot- 550 &lt; 0 &gt; C and 180 to 250 MPa for 1 to 60 minutes.

At this time, the powder for the thermoelectric leg can be sintered together with the amorphous ribbon. When the thermosetting powder is sintered together with the amorphous ribbon, the electrical conductivity is increased, so that a high thermoelectric performance can be obtained. At this time, the amorphous ribbon may be an Fe amorphous ribbon.

As an example, the amorphous ribbon may be disposed on the surface for bonding the thermoelectric leg to the upper electrode and the lower electrode and then sintered. Accordingly, the electric conductivity can be increased in the direction of the upper electrode or the lower electrode. For this purpose, the lower amorphous ribbon, the thermoelectrically reactive powder and the upper amorphous ribbon may be sequentially placed in the mold and then sintered. At this time, the surface treatment layer may be formed on the lower amorphous ribbon and the upper amorphous ribbon, respectively. The surface treatment layer is a thin film formed by a plating method, a sputtering method, a vapor deposition method, or the like. Nickel or the like which hardly changes in performance even when it reacts with a thermoelectric material powder as a semiconductor material can be used.

As another example, the amorphous ribbon may be disposed on the side of the thermoelectric leg and then sintered. Accordingly, the electric conductivity can be increased along the side surface of the thermoelectric leg. For this purpose, after the amorphous ribbon is arranged so as to surround the wall surface of the mold, the powder for the thermoelectric leg can be filled and sintered.

Hereinafter, the heat exchanging device according to the embodiment will be described with reference to Figs. 7 to 21. Fig.

7 to 9, the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 may be bonded to each other. In detail, the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 may be adhered to each other via the intermediate layer 3000.

For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the heat transfer member 2000 may be adhered to and disposed on the lower substrate 110 of the thermoelectric element 1000 through the intermediate layer 3000.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. The heat transfer member 2000 may be bonded to the upper substrate 160 of the thermoelectric element 1000 through the intermediate layer 3000.

Alternatively, as shown in Fig. The heat transfer member 2000 may be bonded to the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 of the thermoelectric element 1000 through the intermediate layer 3000. A first intermediate layer 3100 is disposed between the lower substrate 110 and the first heat transfer member 2100 and a second intermediate layer 3100 is provided between the upper substrate 160 and the second heat transfer member 2200. [ 3200 may be disposed.

The intermediate layer 3000 may include a plurality of materials. For example, the intermediate layer 3000 may include a first material and a second material.

The first material may comprise an adhesive material. The first material may comprise a heat transfer material. In detail, the first material may include an adhesive material having heat transfer function. For example, the first material may include a thermal grease.

The second material may comprise a material that absorbs or emits heat. For example, the second material may comprise a phase change material.

The second material may be phase-changed. That is, the second material may have a property of changing a physical state within a predetermined temperature range.

For example, the second material may be changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase with increasing temperature. That is, the second material may be liquefied with increasing temperature. Further, the second material may be changed from a liquid phase to a solid phase while the temperature is decreased. That is, the second material can be solidified with decreasing temperature. That is, the second material may be phase-changed into a liquefied or solidified state according to a change in temperature.

Referring to FIG. 10, a plurality of irregular patterns may be formed on the interface between the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 and the heat transfer member 200. That is, the interface between the lower substrate 110 and the upper substrate 160 and the interface between the heat transfer member 200 may have a predetermined surface roughness.

The intermediate layer 3000 is disposed inside the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface of the lower substrate 110 or the upper substrate 160 and the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface of the heat transfer member 200 .

That is, the intermediate layer 3000 is disposed while filling the inside of the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface between the lower substrate 110, the upper substrate 160, and the heat transfer member 200, The surface roughness of the interface between the upper substrate 160, the heat transfer member 110, the upper substrate 160 and the heat transfer member 200 can be reduced.

The intermediate layer 3000 is disposed while filling the concavo-convex pattern of the interface between the lower substrate 110, the upper substrate 160, and the heat transfer member 200, The surface roughness of the interface between the substrate 160 and the heat transfer member 200 may have a size of about 0.4 mu m or less.

The second material may include a different material depending on the temperature of a heat source generated in the thermoelectric element 1000. For example, the melting point of the second material, i.e., the melting temperature Tm, may be greater than the temperature of the heat source. In detail, the melting point of the second material, i.e., the melting temperature Tm, can be defined by the following equation (1).

[Equation]

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 8 ℃ ≤ Melting point of second material ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 16 ℃

That is, the melting temperature Tm of the second material may be 8 ° C to 16 ° C higher than the temperature of the heat source generated in the thermoelectric element 1000.

If the melting temperature Tm of the second material is lower than 8 ° C, the second material may be phase-changed by the heat source, thereby lowering the adhesive property and heat transfer characteristics of the first material. When the melting temperature Tm of the second material exceeds 16 ° C, the temperature for phase-changing the first material is increased to lower the characteristics of the first material. As a result, Adhesion property and heat transfer property by the substance may be deteriorated.

For example, when the heat source temperature of the thermoelectric element is 50 ° C., the second material may include an octadecano phase change material. In addition, when the heat source temperature of the thermoelectric element is 100 ° C, the second material may include a CaBr ₂ -4H ₂ O phase change material.

In addition, the second material may have a constant thermal conductivity. In detail, the thermal conductivity of the second material may be greater than 0.5 W / mk and less than 3.0 W / mk. If the thermal conductivity of the second material is less than 0.5 W / mk, the overall thermal conductivity of the intermediate layer 3000 may be lowered and the overall characteristics of the thermoelectric device may be deteriorated. If the thermal conductivity of the second material is more than 3.3 W / mk, the overall latent heat capacity of the intermediate layer 3000 may be lowered, and the performance holding time may be reduced, thereby deteriorating the overall characteristics of the thermoelectric device

The first material and the second material may be contained in the intermediate layer 3000 at a predetermined weight ratio. The weight of the second material may be less than the weight of the first material. In detail, the second material may be included in an amount of about 40 wt% to about 45 wt% with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer (3000).

The lower substrate 110, the upper substrate 160, and the heat transfer member 2000, when the second material is included in an amount less than about 40% by weight with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer 3000, The intermediate layer 3000 can not sufficiently fill the inside thereof, and the thermal conductivity may be lowered due to pores in which the adhesive layer is not disposed. In addition, when the second material is included in an amount greater than about 45% by weight with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer 3000, the amount of the first material is reduced to decrease the adhesive force between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, Can be degraded.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the heat exchanger according to the embodiments and the comparative examples. These embodiments are merely illustrative of the present invention in order to explain the present invention in more detail. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

Example 1

An intermediate layer is disposed between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, and the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member are bonded through the intermediate layer.

At this time, the intermediate layer included a thermal grease and a phase change material, and the melting temperature of the phase change material was as follows.

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 8 ℃ ≤ Melting temperature of phase change material (Tm) ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 16 ℃

Then, the performance characteristics and the productivity of the heat exchanger were measured.

Comparative Example 1

The performance and productivity of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the melting temperature of the phase change material was as follows.

Heat source temperature (캜) ≤ Melting temperature (Tm) of phase change material ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 8 ℃

Comparative Example 2

The performance and productivity of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the melting temperature of the phase change material was as follows.

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 4 ℃ ≤ Melting temperature of phase change material (Tm) ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 12 ℃

Comparative Example 3

The performance and productivity of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the melting temperature of the phase change material was as follows.

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 12 ℃ ≤ Melting temperature of phase change material (Tm) ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 20 ℃

Comparative Example 4

The performance and productivity of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the melting temperature of the phase change material was as follows.

Temperature of heat source (℃) + 16 ℃ ≤ Melting temperature of phase change material (Tm) ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 24 ℃

Example 1 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example 2 Comparative Example 3 Comparative Example 4 Performance 100% Less than 5% Less than 15% 100% 100% productivity 100% 0% 0% Less than 75% Less than 50%

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the heat exchanger according to the first embodiment has better performance and productivity than the heat exchanger according to the first to fourth comparative examples.

That is, in the case of Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2, the phase change material is phase-changed by the heat source, which interferes with the function of the summer grease, so that the overall heat transfer performance is lowered and the productivity may be lowered.

In the case of Comparative Example 3 and Comparative Example 4, the heat transfer performance is maintained, but the overall productivity is lowered due to the change of the summer grease due to the high temperature.

Example 2

An intermediate layer is disposed between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, and the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member are bonded through the intermediate layer.

At this time, the intermediate layer included a summer grease and a phase change material, and the thermal conductivity of the phase change material was more than 0.5 W / mk and less than 3.0 W / mk.

Then, the performance of the heat exchanger was measured.

Comparative Example 5

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2 except that the thermal conductivity of the phase change material was less than 0.1 W / mk.

Comparative Example 6

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the thermal conductivity of the phase change material was 0.1 W / mK to 0.5 W / mK.

Comparative Example 7

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the thermal conductivity of the phase change material was 3.0 W / mk to 5.0 / mk.

Comparative Example 8

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 2, except that the thermal conductivity of the phase change material exceeded 5.0 / mk.

Example 2 Comparative Example 5 Comparative Example 6 Comparative Example 7 Comparative Example 8 Performance 100% Less than 5% Less than 30% Less than 60% Less than 5%

Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that the heat exchanger according to the second embodiment has better performance than the heat exchanger according to the comparative examples 5 to 8. [

That is, in the case of Comparative Example 5 and Comparative Example 6, the thermal conductivity of the phase change material is lower than that of the summer grease, so that the overall heat transfer performance of the intermediate layer may be lowered.

In the case of Comparative Example 7 and Comparative Example 8, the performance may be lowered as the latent heat capacity of the intermediate layer is reduced and the performance holding time is decreased.

Example 3

An intermediate layer is disposed between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, and the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member are bonded through the intermediate layer.

At this time, the intermediate layer included a summer grease and a phase change material, and the phase change material was included in an amount of 40 wt% to 45 wt% with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer.

Then, the performance of the heat exchanger was measured.

Comparative Example 9

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3, except that the phase change material was contained in an amount of less than 30% by weight based on the entirety of the intermediate layer.

Comparative Example 10

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3, except that 30% by weight to 40% by weight of the phase change material was included in the entire middle layer.

Comparative Example 11

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3, except that the phase change material was contained in an amount of 45 wt% to 55 wt% with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer.

Comparative Example 12

The performance characteristics of the heat exchanger were measured after the heat exchanger was manufactured in the same manner as in Example 3, except that the phase change material was contained in an amount exceeding 55 wt% with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer.

Example 3 Comparative Example 9 Comparative Example 10 Comparative Example 11 Comparative Example 12 Performance 100% Less than 15% Less than 80% Less than 15% 0%

Referring to Table 3, it can be seen that the heat exchanger according to the third embodiment has better performance than the heat exchanger according to the comparative examples 9 to 12.

That is, in the case of Comparative Example 9 and Comparative Example 10, since the weight of the phase change material is so small that the phase change material can not sufficiently penetrate into the concavo-convex pattern, the overall heat transfer performance of the intermediate layer may be deteriorated.

Further, in the case of Comparative Example 11 and Comparative Example 12, the weight of the summer grease is so small that the overall viscosity of the summer grease is lowered, and therefore the adhesion performance and the like may be lowered.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing process of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 14. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 11, the intermediate layer 3000 may be disposed on the thermoelectric element 1000 first. The intermediate layer 3000 may include a heat transfer material and a phase change material, as described above.

12, a heat transfer member 2000 may be disposed on the intermediate layer 3000 to bond the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 together.

Referring to FIG. 13, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 may be raised to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the phase change material included in the intermediate layer 3000. Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may be liquefied as the temperature is raised.

The intermediate layer 3000 may be changed into a liquid phase from a solid phase and penetrate into the inside of the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface between the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may fill the inside of the concavo-convex pattern.

Referring to FIG. 14, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 may be lowered to a temperature below the melting temperature of the phase change material included in the intermediate layer 3000. Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a liquid phase to a solid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 can be solidified as the temperature is lowered.

Hereinafter, another manufacturing process of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 15, the intermediate layer 3000 may be disposed on the thermoelectric element 1000 first. The intermediate layer 3000 may include a heat transfer material and a phase change material, as described above.

Referring to FIG. 16, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 may be raised to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the phase change material included in the intermediate layer 3000. Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may be liquefied as the temperature is raised.

The intermediate layer 3000 may be changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase and penetrate into the inside of the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface of the thermoelectric element 1000. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may fill the inside of the concavo-convex pattern.

Referring to FIG. 17, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 may be lowered to a temperature below the melting temperature of the phase change material included in the intermediate layer 3000. Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a liquid phase to a solid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 can be solidified as the temperature is lowered.

18, a heat transfer member 2000 may be disposed on the intermediate layer 3000 to bond the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 together.

Hereinafter, another manufacturing process of the heat exchanger according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 19 to 21. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 19, the intermediate layer 3000 may be disposed on the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000, respectively. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may be disposed on both the thermoelectric elements 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000. The intermediate layer 3000 may include a heat transfer material and a phase change material, as described above.

Referring to FIG. 20, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 may be raised to a temperature higher than a melting temperature of the phase change material included in the intermediate layer 3000. Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a solid phase to a liquid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may be liquefied as the temperature is raised.

The intermediate layer 3000 may be changed into a liquid phase from a solid phase and penetrate into the inside of the concavo-convex pattern formed at the interface between the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 may fill the inside of the concavo-convex pattern.

21, after the thermoelectric element 1000 and the heat transfer member 2000 are bonded to each other, the temperature of the intermediate layer 3000 is lower than the melting temperature of the phase change material contained in the intermediate layer 3000 . Accordingly, the intermediate layer 3000 may be phase-changed from a liquid phase to a solid phase. That is, the intermediate layer 3000 can be solidified as the temperature is lowered.

The heat exchanger according to the embodiment may include an intermediate layer including a phase change material between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member.

Accordingly, when bonding the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member, the inside of the concave / convex pattern formed at the bonding interface between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member can be filled with the phase change material. That is, the surface roughness of the bonding interface between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member can be reduced.

As a result, the contact area between the thermoelectric element and the intermediate layer, the heat transfer member and the intermediate layer can be increased, and the reliability of bonding can be improved.

Further, by reducing the pore at the bonding interface, the thermal conductivity can be improved by improving the thermal conductivity in the intermediate layer, and the overall characteristics of the heat exchange device can be improved.

For example, when the heat exchanger is applied as a cooling module, it is possible to increase the amount of heat dissipation of the heat transfer member to improve the temperature of the cooling temperature. In addition, when the heat exchanger is used as a power generation module, the heat transfer of the heat transfer member can be improved, and the temperature difference inside the thermoelectric device can be increased, so that the power generation amount can be increased.

The thermoelectric element according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to a power generating device, a cooling device, a heat transferring device, or the like using a Peltier effect or a Seebeck effect. Specifically, the thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention mainly includes an optical communication module, a sensor, a medical instrument, a measuring instrument, an aerospace industry, a refrigerator, a chiller, a ventilation sheet, a cup holder, a washing machine, , A water purifier, a power supply for a sensor, a thermopile, and the like.

Here, as an example in which the thermoelectric element according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a medical instrument, there is a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) device. The PCR device is a device for amplifying DNA to determine the DNA sequence and is a device that requires precise temperature control and thermal cycling.

Another example in which a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a medical instrument is a photodetector. Here, the photodetector includes an infrared / ultraviolet detector, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) sensor, an X-ray detector, and a TTRS (Thermoelectric Thermal Reference Source). Can be applied for cooling the photodetector in order to prevent a wavelength change, an output drop, and a resolution degradation due to a temperature rise inside the photodetector.

Another example in which a thermoelectric device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a medical instrument includes an immunoassay field, an in vitro diagnostics field, a general temperature control and cooling system, Physiotherapy field, liquid chiller system, and blood / plasma temperature control field. Thus, precise temperature control is possible.

Another example in which a thermoelectric element according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a medical instrument is an artificial heart. Thus, power can be supplied to the artificial heart.

Examples of applications of the thermoelectric devices according to the embodiments of the present invention to the aerospace industry include star tracking systems, thermal imaging cameras, infrared / ultraviolet detectors, CCD sensors, Hubble Space Telescopes and TTRS. Accordingly, the temperature of the image sensor can be maintained.

Other examples in which the thermoelectric device according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied to the aerospace industry include a cooling device, a heater, a power generation device, and the like.

In addition, the thermoelectric device according to the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to power generation, cooling, and heating in other industrial fields.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims It can be understood that

Claims (11)

Thermoelectric elements;
A heat transfer member disposed on one surface of the thermoelectric element; And
And an intermediate layer disposed between the thermoelectric element and the heat transfer member,
The thermoelectric element includes:
A lower substrate;
An upper substrate disposed on the lower substrate;
A plurality of legs disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate;
A lower electrode connecting the leg and the lower substrate; And
And an upper electrode connecting the leg and the lower substrate,
Wherein the intermediate layer comprises a heat transfer material and a phase change material,
Wherein the melting point of the phase change material satisfies the following equation.
[Equation]
Temperature of heat source (℃) + 8 ℃ ≤ Melting point of second material ≤ Temperature of heat source (℃) + 16 ℃ The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the weight of the phase change material is less than the weight of the heat transfer material. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the phase change material is included in an amount of 40 wt% to 45 wt% with respect to the entirety of the intermediate layer. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the phase change material has a thermal conductivity of greater than 0.5 W / mk and less than 3.0 W / mk. The method according to claim 1,
At least one of the one surface of the lower substrate facing the heat transfer member, one surface of the upper substrate facing the heat transfer member, and one surface of the heat transfer member facing the substrate of at least one of the lower substrate and the upper substrate Wherein the surface roughness of one surface of the heat exchanger is 0.4 탆 or less. The method according to claim 1,
At least one of the one surface of the lower substrate facing the heat transfer member, one surface of the upper substrate facing the heat transfer member, and one surface of the heat transfer member facing the substrate of at least one of the lower substrate and the upper substrate And a concavo-convex pattern on the surface of one surface of the heat exchanger. The method according to claim 5 or 6,
And the intermediate layer is disposed while filling the inside of the concavo-convex pattern. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the phase change material is a heat exchange device that varies depending on a size of a heat source temperature of the thermoelectric element, The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the thermoelectric element is a Peltier element. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the thermoelectric element is a Seebeck element. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the heat transfer material is a thermal grease.

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