Cooling units

TCU stands for Thermoelectric Cooling Unit. These devices are designed to transfer heat (used for cooling the electrical panels, but can also be used to achieve the opposite effect, simply by reversing the power supply polarity). A TCU cools by using only electrical energy exploiting a physical phenomenon known as the "Peltier effect".

There are no mechanical moving parts in a thermoelectric unit (except for the fan, when present). That is why a TCU is very reliable. It has a nearly limitless life and is maintenance-free. The absence of moving parts makes the device insensitive to vibration and means that it can operate in any position, making it particularly suitable for applications on moving systems. It does not use gas (CFC) and its structure is much simpler and more compact than a compressor air conditioner.

A thermoelectric unit is a small solid-state heat pump. The heat is transferred through the passage of electrical current in the thermoelectric modules, which constitute the heart of the system. The Peltier effect means that one side of the cell (the cold side) cools down and absorbs the surrounding heat, while the opposite side (the warm side) heats up and surrender the heat absorbed by the cold side into the surrounding environment. The process can be reversed by reversing the direction of the electric current.

The compressor compresses the refrigerant (thus bringing it to high pressure and high temperature), pushes it through the condenser, where it is cooled by the ambient air, passing from a gaseous state to a liquid state and consequently releasing heat. In liquid state, the refrigerant passes through the capillary tube and reaches the evaporator, where it absorbs the heat (subtracting it from the environment) necessary to pass again from liquid to gaseous state. The refrigerant is then returned to the compressor, thus completing the cycle.