Thermocouples? Question?

Question

During class my jet turbine teacher was talking about thermocouples detecting EGTs, after class one of my classmates mentioned that if you put power to a thermocouple they'll heat up and if you reverse that power you'll make it cold.

It it true? If so how could I make a tiny cooler? Thanks!

Answer 1

Not true.  All a thermocouple is is two dissimilar metals joined together (hot junction) that produce a voltage dependant on the temperature of the hot junction.  Supplying power to the thermocouple, or reversing power to it will only result in the short circuiting of whatever power source you connnect to it.

The person telling you this is pulling your leg, such as if they were sending you out for a bucket of steam, a light bulb repair kit, relative bearing grease, or a ten foot length of chow line.

Answer 2

lol we just blow on it to make it cold or just let it sit, cuz my school is tooo cheap =)

Answer 3

You can buy tiny coolers at Target that use this technology.  They are intended for use in your car, but  they don't work very well, and will drain your battery if you use it when the car isn't running.