Potential evaluation of an annular thermoelectric cooler driven by a dye-sensitized solar cell

Abstract

For round shaped cooling space, a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) is used to drive annular thermoelectric cooler (ATEC) to solve the performance deterioration caused by geometric mismatch, in which ATEC considers Seebeck effect, Peltier effect and Thomson effect. Considering all kinds of irreversible losses between DSSC and ATEC, the mathematical formula of performance parameters of hybrid system is derived. The effects of Schottky barrier height, thickness of TiO2 film, thickness of ATEC, number of thermoelectric elements and annular parameter of the ATEC on the cooling capacity and coefficient of performance (COP) of the coupling system are analyzed theoretically. The theoretical calculation results show that the maximum cooling capacity and COP of the hybrid system are 68.75 W/m2 and 0.071, respectively. In addition, it can be found that the positive Thomson effect had a positive influence on the thermoelectric cooling system. The findings of this work have the potential to provide fresh light of solar-driven annular thermoelectric cooler matching with actual round shaped cooled spaces.