An active intercooler for heating or cooling a ?uid passing
through the intercooler. The intercooler may be used to cool
gases from the compression stage of an engine turbocharger
in order to increase engine horsepower. The intercooler
could also be used to cool the oil in an engine or transmis
sion. Alternately, the intercooler could be used to heat or
cool the air provided to the passenger compartment of a
vehicle. The active intercooler includes a chamber through
which the ?uid ?ows. A thermoelectric heat pump is
attached to the chamber in order to remove and dissipate
heat from the ?uid ?owing through the chamber. A control
system is provided to control the current supplied to the
thermoelectric heat pump and thus the cooling capacity of
the thermoelectric heat pump. A heat sink including a
plurality of ?ns is attached to the thermoelectric heat pump
on a surface opposite the chamber in order to increase the
ability of the thermoelectric heat pump to dissipate heat.