Thermal Management Assemblies
Air To Liquid Assemblies
An air to liquid assembly cools air on the cold side and rejects the heat into a liquid circuit on the hot side, instead of dumping it into the surrounding air.
Product Overview
How This Configuration Works
An air to liquid assembly cools air on the cold side and rejects the heat into a liquid circuit on the hot side, instead of dumping it into the surrounding air.
This matters whenever the ambient air is already hot, dirty or simply unavailable as a heat sink, and whenever the heat must be carried away from the immediate area rather than added to it.
Because liquid has a far higher heat capacity than air, the hot side exchanger becomes much smaller for the same rejected power, which is often the reason this configuration is chosen in a tight machine.
Key Benefits
Why This Configuration
Heat Leaves The Area
The rejected heat is carried away by the coolant instead of raising local ambient temperature.
Compact Hot Side
A liquid cooled hot side is far smaller than the air heat sink that would reject the same power.
Works In Hot Ambient
Performance is set by the coolant temperature, not by a hot and variable air temperature.
Who It Is For
Who Uses It
- Machine builders with an existing chilled or process water loop
- Laboratory instrument designers cooling a compartment inside a warm machine
- Industrial equipment makers where cabinet ambient is already elevated
- Test equipment designers who need a repeatable cold side independent of room conditions
- Applications where local heat rejection would disturb the measurement
Problems It Solves
What It Solves
- The surrounding air is too hot to act as a heat sink
- Rejected heat would raise the temperature of neighbouring equipment
- There is no room for the large air heat sink the duty would need
- The cold side temperature must be repeatable regardless of room conditions
- A facility water loop already exists and is under-used
Technical Features
Design Considerations
Coolant Temperature Rules
The coolant inlet temperature sets the hot side baseline, and everything else follows from it.
Flow Rate
Too low a flow makes the liquid exchanger the bottleneck. Specify a minimum flow with the assembly.
Material Compatibility
Coolant chemistry, corrosion inhibitors and exchanger material have to be compatible for the design life.
Leak Management
A liquid circuit inside a cabinet needs quick disconnects, sensible routing and a leak plan.
Cold Side Airflow
The cold side is still an air exchanger, so fan selection and duct design decide the air temperature achieved.
Serviceability
Plan access to both the fan and the liquid connections before the enclosure is fixed.
Specifications
Specification
Assemblies are built around your duty point using modules from our own catalogue.
What We Need To Configure An Assembly
- Heat load to remove, in watts, and the temperature it must be held at
- Ambient temperature range and the worst case you must still work in
- Enclosure or process volume, and how the cold side is coupled to it
- Available supply voltage and current, and whether control is on and off or proportional
- Space envelope, mounting orientation and any ingress protection requirement
- Flow rate and coolant type, for any liquid coupled configuration
Assemblies are configured per project from our module catalogue rather than sold as fixed catalogue items, so capacity and dimensions are confirmed at quotation.
Catalogue Notes
| Data reference | All catalogue values are measured at a hot side temperature Th = 30 °C |
| Flatness | ±0.05 mm |
| Height tolerance | ±0.2 mm |
| Maximum compressive load | 1 MPa |
| Lead wire | 150 mm as default, other lengths and terminations on request |
| Sealing | Silicone gel seal. Specify if you do not want the module sealed |
Symbol Definitions
| Imax | Maximum input current in amperes at Qc = 0 and ΔTmax |
| Vmax | Maximum DC input voltage in volts at Qc = 0 and Imax |
| ΔTmax | Maximum temperature differential in °C at Qc = 0 and Imax |
| QcMax | Maximum heat pumping capacity in watts at Imax and ΔT = 0 |
| Th | Temperature of the hot side during operation |
| Tc | Temperature of the cold side during operation |
Materials And Construction
What Goes Into The Assembly
| Modules | TEC1 ceramic or TEA1 aluminium substrate modules from our own production |
| Interface | Thermal grease or graphite sheet, selected for the clamping method |
| Sealing | Silicone gel sealed modules, with condensate management on the cold side |
| Control | Temperature controller and thermistor, supplied as accessories |
| Test | Modules 100 % tested before assembly, assemblies functionally tested |
| Specification | Issued per project, to be confirmed at quotation |
Manufacturing Process
From Ingot To Finished Module
- Duty point review: heat load, set point, ambient and control method
- Module selection from the TEC1, TEA1 or TES1 catalogue
- Cold side and hot side exchanger sizing around the selected module
- Interface, sealing and condensation management
- Electrical design: supply, controller and sensor arrangement
- Build, test and documentation before shipment
Quality Control
Every Module Is Tested Before It Leaves The Line
Quality control runs from raw material procurement through crystal growth, pellet selection and module assembly to the dispatch of the finished product. All products are 100 % tested and inspected using test equipment sourced from an American thermoelectric company.
ISO 9001
Quality management system certified
SGS
European Union certification held by the manufacturing company
RoHS
All thermoelectric modules are RoHS compliant
100 % tested
Every module is tested and inspected before dispatch
Customization Options
Configured, Not Catalogued
Every assembly is put together from our module range around the load you actually have.
Capacity
Module count and size chosen for your heat load and delta-T.
Supply And Control
Built for the voltage you have, with proportional or on and off control.
Mechanical Integration
Mounting, orientation, sealing and service access designed in.
Comparison With Other Products
Compared With The Other Configurations
| Configuration | Cold side | Hot side | Best when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air to air | Air | Air | A sealed enclosure has to be cooled below ambient with no plumbing |
| Air to liquid | Air | Liquid | Heat must leave the area entirely, or ambient air is hot or dirty |
| Liquid to liquid | Liquid | Liquid | A circulating fluid loop needs to be conditioned |
| Plate to plate | Conduction | Conduction | The load bolts straight to a cold plate and space is tight |
Use Guide
Making It Work In The Field
- Confirm the coolant inlet temperature and the minimum flow you can guarantee, not the design value.
- Check coolant chemistry against the exchanger material before the design is frozen.
- Fit quick disconnects and route the circuit so a leak cannot drip onto electronics.
- Keep the cold side airflow path short and unobstructed, since it decides the delivered air temperature.
- Plan for condensation on the cold side ducting as well as on the exchanger itself.
- Interlock the assembly with flow detection so the modules cannot run without coolant.
Related Products
Other Parts Of The Range
TEC Standard Peltier Modules
158 catalogue sizes from 10×10 mm to 80×120 mm, Qmax 1.6 to 480 W.
Learn more
TEA Aluminium Substrate Modules
A 122 W/m·K substrate that raises efficiency 30 to 50 %.
Learn moreTE Accessories
Power supplies, controllers, thermistors and thermal interface materials.
Learn moreRelated Applications And Guides
Where This Product Is Used
How To Select A Peltier Module
Turn a heat load and a delta-T into a shortlist of part numbers.
Learn more
Peltier Module Installation Guide
Mounting force, flatness, thermal interface and sealing.
Learn more
Thermoelectric Module Reliability
Why our modules reach 300,000 hours and what shortens that.
Learn moreFAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Air To Liquid Assemblies
What coolant temperature do I need?
Lower is better, but what matters is that it is stable and known. Give us the inlet temperature and the flow rate you can guarantee and we will configure the assembly around it.
What happens if the coolant flow stops?
The hot side temperature rises quickly and module life suffers. Interlock the module supply with a flow or temperature switch so the assembly shuts down safely.
Can I use plain water?
Only if the loop is closed, clean and protected against corrosion and freezing. Tell us the coolant you intend to use and we will confirm exchanger compatibility.
Is this more efficient than air to air?
It usually delivers a lower and more stable cold side for the same module count, because the hot side baseline is set by the coolant rather than by hot ambient air.
Send Us Your Heat Load
Tell us the watts to remove, the temperature to hold and the ambient you have to survive. We will configure the assembly around modules from our own production.
No forms. Messages reach our engineering desk directly. Reply within 24 hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 Beijing time.