Abstract
Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) can reach temperatures below that obtained with a steady-state current by applying an electrical current pulse which enables a transitory state in a Peltier device. This effect is known as supercooling. In this paper, we study characteristics parameters, such as the minimum cooling temperature and spatial temperature profile, in a TEC operated under current pulses and a cooling load . Numerical analysis for a one-dimensional thermoelectric model of the cooling system is developed, and a novel MATLAB programming code is proposed for the transient state based on finite element analysis. We also investigate the influence of the thermoelement’s length upon the cooling mechanism. A new parameter called the “characteristic cooling length” is proposed to describe the length in which the minimum cooling temperature occurs along the elements of a TEM. Results show the transient temperature profiles along the elements of the semiconductor P-type element, and a “characteristic cooling length” is characterized. We also propose a general principle, and the lowest cooling temperature values are obtained for a semiconductor’s small length and variable pulse cooling load under current pulse operation. The present study will serve as guidance for the geometric design of TECs under current pulse operations.
Highlights
Thermoelectric cooling devices use electricity to generate a temperature gradient based on the Peltier effect
thermoelectric coolers (TECs) can reach temperatures below that obtained with a steady-state current by applying an electrical current pulse which enables a transitory state in a Peltier thermocouple
Transient cooling was investigated by modeling the heat and electricity conductors, and we considered thermoelectric effects during pulse operation in order to predict the most important parameters where extra cooling was needed for a short time
Summary
Thermoelectric cooling devices use electricity to generate a temperature gradient based on the Peltier effect. Operation of thermoelectric coolers (TECs) consists of establishing continuous temperature and voltage gradients along a thermoelectric element while maintaining the local thermodynamic equilibrium [1] Thermoelectric effects, such as the Seebeck effect, Peltier effect, and Thomson effect, result from the interference of electrical currents and heat flow in the semiconductor’s material, and its interaction allows the usage of thermoelectric effects for cooling phenomena [2]. The Peltier effect and Joule heating play an important role in the transient supercooling effect, and must be investigated to find new applications or improve some of them, such as infrared detectors or tubes in a conventional refrigerator [20] This is an advantage of using transient state models for better characterization of supercooling, compared to the steady-state model where lower temperatures cannot be reached. We propose a general principle to make a judgment on whether a temperature profile will occur during or after a current pulse
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