Experimental and numerical investigation of a prototype thermoelectric heating and cooling unit

Abstract

In this study, the performance of a prototype thermoelectric heating/cooling unit is investigated. In the numerical analysis, temperature–pressure contours, and velocity vectors are obtained for the selected fin geometry. In order to validate the numerical results, experimental analyses are carried out. The effects of the air velocity on the temperature distribution of the fin surfaces and the variation of the psychrometric properties of the air are measured for various TEC voltage differences. Thermal images are used to obtain the temperature variation on fin surfaces. COP values for heating and cooling are calculated. For different fan speeds, the heating and cooling COP values vary between 2.5 and 5, and 0.4 and 1, respectively. The study shows that it is possible to use TECs as an alternative method for HVAC applications with properly designed heat exchangers. Integrating them with photovoltaic panels provides utilization of solar energy, especially in cooling applications.