Patent ID: 7856874

Claim:
Apparatus for measuring a fluid microflow velocity within a capillary conduit, comprising: a. a capillary conduit through a wall of which a fluid is longitudinally flowable; b. at least one thermoelectric cooler mounted on, and in heat transfer relation with, said capillary conduit wall, each of said at least one thermoelectric coolers comprising: i. a plurality of Peltier thermal elements defining a common heating surface and a common cooling surface longitudinally spaced from said common heating surface; and ii. two conducting elements of a smaller radial dimension than said plurality of thermal elements, for thermally interfacing with said heating surface and said cooling surface, respectively, and with said capillary conduit wall, wherein said two conducting elements longitudinally and outwardly protrude from said heating surface and said cooling surface, respectively, so as to increase a heat transfer surface area between said at least one thermoelectric cooler and said capillary conduit wall and to increase the sensitivity of fluid velocity measurement; c. a voltage source for providing an input signal to said at least one thermoelectric cooler; and d. a processor for analyzing an output signal which is generated in response to said input signal and to a thermal reaction of said fluid to said at least one thermoelectric cooler, whereby to measure the velocity of said fluid.