Quote:
Originally Posted by bojan
Exactly right  |
All in all cumbersome cooling for purposes of thermography - but that's not what this thread was about.
This thread is about the use of latent heat of vaporization to achieve suitable Astro-Cam thermal criterion without the use of Peltier cooling - or perhaps in conjuction with Peltier cooling.
I suspect Peltier cooling has it's share of problems - let's review some of them:
Peltiers require a fan - fans and telescopes traditionally have not gotten along so well. Vibration comes to mind. Possible electronic noise - if it's a faulty fan. And dust collection or generation - we'll suggest : )
The coolers themselves have certain issues. Potential for electronic noise perhaps - especially if it's faulty - we'll suggest (again). Potential for rapid reheat resulting in thermal shock of sensitive ccd - this is mitigated through use of a cold finger. Significant in-field current drain and potentially inconsistent thermal performance - as described in the literature.
"Chill-OUt" certainly dispenses with any mechanical vibration issues .. as there is no fan required. I'm a no-fan fan. (Are you a fan of no-fan fans)?
Can't imagine there is any possible electronic-noise generation. These "chill fluids" are specifically compounded to not encourage static build-up (btw) and additionally; "leaves no residue" .. < to be taken with a grain of salt this 'no-residue' claim - particularly in the "precision-optics department".
As mentioned previously - it might be of benefit to employ chill fluid with a modified Peltier cooling strategy .. fan-less Peltier cooling we'll call it. It would seem prudent to employ a cold-finger of some not-insignificant thermal mass. This to prevent wild thermal deviation with incident sensor shock.
The can of coolant can be far-removed from the sensor end-of-things. This to isolate any "spray can valve actuation-associated vibration".
The cold finger is to have a thermocouple incorporated into it - to trigger shots of Icy Cold-Blast 2010© as necessary.
I encourage readers to experiment in this capacity and report back on their findings.
10-4