Improvement of heating and cooling performance for thermoelectric devices in medical storage application

Abstract

Thermoelectric devices provide several advantages over typical refrigeration systems, including compact size, quiet operation, minimal energy use, and environmentally friendly. By harnessing these benefits, we have developed a blood storage system that has the potential to transform the way blood products are preserved and safeguarded. Thermal performance was evaluated using a variety of scenarios, including thermal fin material and emissivity, voltage operation, heat sink type (I, U, O type), and tube load. This research used thermoelectric devices, Styrofoam materials, thermal fin and the heatsink to design the thermoelectric storage cabinet with heat insulation function. The aims to improve the performance of thermoelectric devices by optimizing the thermal fin design during heating/cooling storage mechanisms. Our findings emphasize the importance of thermal radiation, particularly in circumstances with low natural convection and high surface emissivity. Thermal performance is optimized when heating storage elements are incorporated into aluminum finned tubes and run at an input voltage of 8V in a 25 °C ambient temperature. In addition, using U-shaped cooling fins in cooling conditions results in superior cooling performance. The outcomes of this study highlight the possibility and potential benefits of using thermoelectric devices to heat and cool medical storage, notably blood storage applications. The insights gained here contribute to advancing the efficiency and sustainability of medical storage systems, ultimately benefiting healthcare and the environment.