LG Innotek has launched a thermoelectric module that provides both cooling and heating functions with just this one component. Since it is small and light, it can improve the design and convenience of products such as home appliances and automobiles that need both cooling and heating functions. A thermoelectric module is an electronic cooling/heating component that controls temperature by supplying electricity to a semiconductor element. It uses the “Peltier effect”: when electricity flows to metals of different properties, one side is heated and the other side is cooled. The module is a half-finished product in which a heat sink and cooling fan are mounted on a thin thermoelectric device of 4 mm thickness. The module’s temperature control range extends from -50℃ to 80℃ without refrigerant compressor or hot wire. “LG Innotek’s thermoelectric module – said the company – makes it possible to produce smaller and lighter home appliances such as a wine cellar and a water purifier. When the module is used in a water purifier, its size can be reduced to half of a compressor-type purifier”. Thermoelectric modules are environmentally friendly because they do not use freon gas that destroys the ozone layer. In addition, there is no heat coil in the module, making it safe from electromagnetic waves. “LG Innotek – added the company – has developed a thermoelectric device, which makes the improvement of thermoelectric module performance. The ultra-fine Nano technology that can divide a hair into ten thousand pieces lengthwise has been applied to the development. With the development of a high-efficiency thermoelectric device, the heating and cooling rate increased by 20% and power consumption decreased by 25%”. The company has begun mass production of small thermoelectric modules for heating and cooling, and plans to expand its applications to high-end refrigerators and automobiles in the future.
