Patent ID: 7765811

Claim:
An assembly suitable for use in receiving heat transferred from a fluid conduit when the assembly is circumferentially wrapped at least partially around at least a portion of the outer surface of the fluid conduit, the assembly comprising: one or more thermoelectric modules; a compliant thermal interface material configured to substantially conform against and intimately thermally contact an outer surface of a fluid conduit; a heat spreader disposed generally between and thermally coupled to the compliant thermal interface material and the one or more thermoelectric modules, the heat spreader having greater flexibility than the one or more thermoelectric modules, the heat spreader having a thermal conductivity greater than the compliant thermal interface material; a covering disposed relative to the heat spreader such that the covering and heat spreader cooperatively define an interior portion therebetween; and one or more heat sinks thermally coupled to the one or more thermoelectric modules on a side opposite the heat spreader, the one or more heat sinks at least partially external to the interior portion; whereby the assembly has sufficient flexibility to be circumferentially wrapped at least partially around a portion of the fluid conduit's outer surface, with the compliant thermal interface material in substantial conformance against and in intimate thermal contact with the fluid conduit's outer surface portion, to thereby establish a thermally-conducting heat path from the fluid conduit to the one or more thermoelectric modules via the compliant thermal interface material and the heat spreader.