Abstract
Variable thermal resistance (VTR) based on the Peltier and Seebeck effects can convert electric power to heat, thus promoting or hindering heat transfer. A method of using VTR is proposed in this project. VTR, a variable thermal boundary condition, is applied in temperature control systems owing to its fast response and high accuracy. An experiment was conducted to demonstrate the feasibility of using VTR in temperature control systems. Then, a thermal model was built using Simulink that can simulate the model under an ideal heat transfer condition. The experimental and simulation data indicate that the accuracy and anti-interference of a temperature control system can be strengthened by using VTR as the thermal boundary condition. The standard deviation of temperature signals decreases when using VTR control with basic on–off temperature control in the system.
Highlights
TE devices can convert heat to electric power and vice versa; the two primary TE effects are known as Peltier and Seebeck effects
These two effects have one physical condition: the presence of a temperature difference or current difference. If these two effects are considered in one TE device at the same time, the current generated from the Seebeck effect balances the Peltier effect in that device, i.e., it will be self-powered in theory
We propose a method on using the variable thermal resistance (VTR) by the self-powered TE effect, which will be used in a temperature control system as a variable thermal boundary in this study
Summary
TE (thermoelectric) devices can convert heat to electric power and vice versa; the two primary TE effects are known as Peltier and Seebeck effects. TE generators and thermal sensors are designed based on the Seebeck effect, i.e., conversion of heat to electric power These two effects have one physical condition: the presence of a temperature difference or current difference. The thermal response time is long, and it is difficult to maintain thermal stability.11,12 Nanomaterial suspension is another method to achieve variable physical characteristics by exerting a physical field such as magnetic or electric field to form a new arrangement of particles, but it is expensive and used in special areas such as aerospace and precision instruments. Compared with optimizing the control algorithm, locating the VTR as a thermal boundary can change the thermal resistance between a controlled space and the thermal environment It is an effective and special method to improve the accuracy of temperature control
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