Numerical and experimental investigation of thermoelectric cooling in down-hole measuring tools; a case study

Rohitha Weerasinghe,Thomas Hughes

doi:10.1016/j.csite.2017.02.002

Abstract

Use of Peltier cooling in down-hole seismic tooling has been restricted by the performance of such devices at elevated temperatures. Present paper analyses the performance of Peltier cooling in temperatures suited for down-hole measuring equipment using measurements, predicted manufacturer data and computational fluid dynamic analysis. Peltier performance prediction techniques is presented with measurements. Validity of the extrapolation of thermoelectric cooling performance at elevated temperatures has been tested using computational models for thermoelectric cooling device. This method has been used to model cooling characteristics of a prototype downhole tool and the computational technique used has been proven valid.

Highlights

Thermoelectric cooling has been around since the early 1950s and extensive research has taken place in aid of cooling at room temperature and around
Seismic down-hole measuring devices operate under harsh environmental conditions, a few kilometres below ground at temperatures that are 200 K above standard room temperature
Thermoelectric cooling in seismic measuring tools is a novel technology

Summary

Introduction

Thermoelectric cooling has been around since the early 1950s and extensive research has taken place in aid of cooling at room temperature and around. Seismic down-hole measuring devices operate under harsh environmental conditions, a few kilometres below ground at temperatures that are 200 K above standard room temperature. These tools contain sensitive electronic circuitry and the performance of the devices depend on whether these devices can be kept within the operating temperatures of the electronics. Thermoelectric cooling in seismic measuring tools is a novel technology The performance of such devices has been hampered by the relatively low overall coefficient of performance. Present study looks at the performance of the Peltier devices in cooling at elevated temperatures and the validity of heat transfer models used to

Objectives

Methods

Results