What does the specification, QMax, mean?
QMax is one of the more confusing specifications in the TE world because its practical significance is not obvious. Its definition relates to a fundamental reality: as the thermal load (i.e., ‘Q’) increases within a given TE system, the resultant ΔT decreases. Within any given hardware environment, for example, you will have a lower ΔT with a thermal load of 40 watts than at 30 watts. At a certain load specification, the ΔT will be reduced to zero; the load which produces this condition, is known as QMax and it is quantified in watts. Note that this specification does not project the maximum amount of heat that the device can handle; if your load goes beyond QMax, you still pump heat, but your net ΔT is now in the opposite direction (i.e., your ‘cold’ side is now the hot side). The primary relevance of QMax as a specification, is that it is commonly used as an endpoint for ‘load lines’ on performance graphs.
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