Need help with this project.

[supersecretshinto]

Working on a DIY chiller project and need design suggestions on maximizing efficiency and versatility while minimizing complexity and expendature.

 

http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...=9&t=86712&st=0

[jeremai]

Well, I consider myself one of the elite Royal Smartpersons, but I don't know anything about chillers.

 

Sorry for the useless post.

[supersecretshinto]

A post is a post. I'll take whatever I can get!

[jeremai]

Well, maybe I can help. I was looking into chillers last week for a tank I was going to build, and found this link:

 

Thermoelectric Peltier Chiller

 

There's a link in the first post of that thread to a simple DIY computer chiller, then the thread describes how to apply it to aquarium use.

 

Kiwis rock. Hope it helps.

 

Edit: oh sorry, just read your other thread, you were looking for a heat exchanger. Another useless post, my bad.

[SplitSequence]

Well, to make it work the most efficiently, you should stay away from peltier devicies, they look good, but don't actually move that much heat around very quickly. Plus, they take enormous amounts of effort to cool.

[audiocontrol]

someone bought a little refrigerator and actually had water passing through it. It was hooked up to a reefkeeper so if the temperature rose to a point, it would kick a pump on in the tank, which would feed the tank water into a coil inside the fridge. He would also keep his DT's in there and soda and whatnot.

[supersecretshinto]

Of course, nothing beats the coolness factor of Bismuth Telluride! But by coolness, I do not mean temperature. I have concluded that these little devices aren't worth my time. They don't perform any of their three functions efficiently and for the same price I could probably build a mini refridgeration unit that uses compressed gas! Then there is the whole durability factor. It would seem that these devices are best used as a "parlor trick" to amaze your friends. I am convinced that a temp. exchanger will be the cheapest, best performing, most efficient device to use.

BTW.......... Does anyone know where I can get info on the composition and thermal properties of the flint glass i want to use for my coil?

[supersecretshinto]

someone bought a little refrigerator and actually had water passing through it. It was hooked up to a reefkeeper so if the temperature rose to a point, it would kick a pump on in the tank, which would feed the tank water into a coil inside the fridge. He would also keep his DT's in there and soda and whatnot.

 

 

The minifridge idea is a good one. That said, this is a "junyard wars" style project using common materials with a maximum total budget of $40. Also, I want to maintain the possibility of using the heat exchanger in it's wastewater configuration in case of power outage. I believe the device would be worth the money to build just to have it around.

 

Thanks for the peltier link jeremai. Joined that forum as well.