Main Headquarters: 120 Water Street, Suite 350, North Andover, MA 01845 With offices in: NY, ME, TX, CA, OR www.ers-inc.com

Energy and Operational Benefits of Thermoelectric Chillers in Semiconductor Manufacturing

Nick Collins2011 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Industry

ProjectRetrofit of vapor compression chillers with TECs

Thermoelectric chillersWhat are they?What is the Peltier effect?

Energy Savings Pre and post install metered data

Introduction

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The Players

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National Semiconductor Maine – Semiconductor fabrication, Project Owner (NOTE: Recently acquired by Texas Instruments)

Efficiency Maine – State energy efficiency and alternative energy programs.

ERS – Energy engineering contractor. Administers the Efficiency Maine program on behalf of the State of Maine.

Solid State Cooling Systems – Manufacturer of thermoelectric chillers

The Players

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National Semiconductor MaineNational’s flagship manufacturing facilityFabricate 200mm wafers in an 80,000 ft2

Class 1 clean room (“Ballroom”)Over 100 automated toolsReturn air plenum (RAP) beneath the ballroom contains support equipment

The Players

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Efficiency MaineState energy efficiency and alternate energy programsPrescriptive and custom cash incentive program for businessProvide up to $300,000 in cash incentives annually for qualifying projects

The Players

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energy and resource solutionsProgressive energy engineering firm basedin North Andover, MAOffice is New York, Texas, Maine,Oregon, and CaliforniaAreas of specialization include assessment and implementation of energy efficiency projects, utility program planning, management, and evaluation; renewable/sustainable building assessment; energy analysis; and efficient lighting design

The Players

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Solid State Cooling SystemsDesign and manufacture compact thermoelectric chillersLocated in Wappingers Falls, NY100 – 6,000 Watt applications

The Project

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National Semiconductor, South Portland, ME80,000 ft2 of fabrication spaceOver 100 automated tools, most with dedicated coolingCorporate emphasis on energy efficiency, reducing kWh/production unit

Existing Forty one Edwards TCU 40/80 vapor

compression chillers 2.8 kW compressor 2400 Watt cooling capacity

Proposed Forty one Solid State Cooling Systems

1200W Thermorack thermoelectric chillers

No compressor 1200 Watt cooling capacity

The Project

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What is a thermoelectric chiller? Grossly simplified, it is a chiller that

makes use of the Peltier effect to remove heat

Wait back up, what is a chiller? A chiller is a machine that removes

heat from a liquid, typically through the vapor compression cycle

The Technology

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Peltier Effect Discovered in 1834 by French physicist

Jean Peltier “The Peltier effect occurs whenever

electrical current flows through two dissimilar conductors. Depending on the direction of current flow, the junction of the two conductors will either absorb or release heat.” –Tellurex.com

The Technology

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The Technology

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Vapor Compression Chiller Evaporator

• Absorbs Heat

Condenser• Reject Heat

Compressor• Drives the process

Mechanical Parts Refrigerant

Thermoelectric Chiller Cold Junction

• Absorbs Heat

Heat Sink• Reject Heat

DC Power source• Drives the process

No Mechanical Parts (except auxiliary systems)

No Refrigerant

The Technology

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The Results

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Pre and Post Metering Results on Lam Research PTC Plasma Etch Tool #02

Pre-retrofit, Edwards TCU 40/80 – 2.2 kW avg.Post-retrofit, SSC Thermorack 1200 – 0.3 kW avg.

Direct Savings

The Results

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Unit Quantity Average kWAnnual Run Hours

Annual Direct

Electric Use -kWh

Edwards TCU 40/80 41 2.2 8660 781,132 SSC ThermoRack 1200 41 0.3 8660 106,518

Annual kWh Savings 674,614

Indirect Savings (not metered)

The Results

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Unit QuantityBTU per

UnitAnnual Run

Hours

Annual Indirect Electric Use –

kWh*

Edwards TCU 40/80 41 7502 8660 177,577SSC ThermoRack 1200 41 1023 8660 24,215

Annual kWh Savings 153,362

*assumes 0.8 kW/ton cooling efficiency

Total predicted annual savings 827,976 kWhAssume $0.11/kWh – $91,077 in savings

The Results

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Efficiency Maine provided metering of pre-retrofit condition and generated independent analysis

The project met the requirements for pre-approval and received the maximum annual incentive of $300,000

The project did not meet National corporate requirements for payback period without the EMaine incentive

Partnering

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Thermoelectric chillers are not efficient Carnot efficiency of TEC: 5%-8% Carnot efficiency of Vapor compression chillers 40%-60%

For energy savings, only suitable for niche applications Other benefits

Fine temperature control – 0.2◦C vs. 1.0◦ C Smaller footprint and weight – 75 lbs vs.. 375 lbs No moving parts No CFCs or HCFCs

Final Thoughts

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Questions

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