Supercooling in a new two-stage thermoelectric cooler design with phase change material and Thomson effect

Abstract

A novel physical model of a two-stage thermoelectric cooler (TEC) is developed, based on geometry factor (γ) analysis between stages under pulsed current conditions and with phase change material (PCM), to improve performance. A detailed investigation of a two-stage Peltier cooler based on a general thermodynamic formulation considering the Thomson effect is presented. The minimum cold side temperature, coefficient of performance (COP), and further the thermoelement’s characteristic temperature profiles are discussed. The numerical analysis was carried out considering square pulse current, hot side heat transfer, metal strips, ceramic plates, and a PCM material volume in the heat sink. The investigation results proved that the geometry relation between both stages and the Thomson effect directly impacts supercooling, and a higher reduction in the cold side temperature can be achieved compared with conventional thermoelectric coolers. A reduction of 25.2 K in a two-stage over a single-stage TEC with PCM is achieved considering a large cross-sectional area in the first stage. It has been found that the holding time and the characteristic temperature profiles during and after pulse operation depends strongly on Thomson heat and geometry. A shorter holding time and maximum temperature drop are found for γ>1 values due to the PCM’s melting temperature and the higher pulse current. The characteristic cooling length reveals the part of the semiconductor element that is cooled during pulse operation. Results will guide the design or selection of a heat sink crucial to a solid-state cooling device’s overall performance.