Thermoelectric Peltier Cooler Research Articles

PENGARUH POWER SUPPLY TERHADAP KINERJA COOLER BOX MINI PADA SISTEM TERMOELEKTRIK PELTIER

Indonesia has tropical climate characteristics, so it requires a cooling device where the utilization can be used as a room cooler and storage. Cooling machines generally use refrigerant working fluid in the compressor, refrigerant is a gas that is not environmentally friendly. So it is necessary to conduct alternative studies, that can replace refrigerant gas and simplify dimensions, weight, and convenience. This study was conducted to analyze the effect of applying a power supply on the performance of thermoelectric coolers. The experimental method applied 2 types of power supplies for thermoelectric Peltier coolers in cooling the mini cooler box space, then the 1400 ml capacity cooling room was given a varying volume of drinks. Analysis of the effect of using a power supply on the cooling performance of the mini cooler box on the thermoelectric Peltier system obtained the results that the time to reach the ambient temperature takes different times. The greater the load put into the box, the longer it takes to cool the drinking water. The greater the power supply ampere specifications, the better it is in accelerating the cooling rate but the power required is greater such as the application of the type of power supply with the type 20A.

Strong and efficient bismuth telluride-based thermoelectrics for Peltier microcoolers.

Thermoelectric Peltier coolers (PCs) are being increasingly used as temperature stabilizers for optoelectronic devices. Increasing integration drives PC miniaturization, requiring thermoelectric materials with good strength. We demonstrate a simultaneous gain of thermoelectric and mechanical performance in (Bi, Sb)2Te3, and successfully fabricate micro PCs (2×2mm2 cross-section) that show excellent maximum cooling temperature difference of 89.3K with a hot-side temperature of 348K. A multi-step process involving annealing, hot-forging and composition design, is developed to modify the atomic defects and nano- and microstructures. The peak ZT is improved to ∼1.50 at 348K, and the flexural and compressive strengths are significantly enhanced to ∼140MPa and ∼224MPa, respectively. These achievements hold great potential for advancing solid-state refrigeration technology in small spaces.

Computational study of pulse current and thermal stress on thermoelectric cooler

The thermal performance of a Peltier thermoelectric cooler (TEC) can be enhanced by multi-staging, modifying the geometry of the thermoelement, and using new material with improved thermoelectric properties. This study utilizes COMSOL multiphysics to simulate thermomechanical analyses of various geometries of thermoelectric coolers under pulse current conditions. This investigation explores the influence of pulse current parameters, such as pulse width, pulse ratio, and hot-side convective heat transfer coefficient, on a thermoelectric cooler with different leg geometries. Additionally, the impact of the TEC cold-side temperature, hot-side temperature, and thermal stress on both sides is discussed. The results indicate that TEC leg shapes, such as pin and trapezoid, exhibit the minimum cold-side temperature. Increasing the pulse ratio leads to a decrease in the cold-side temperature and an increase in the hot-side temperature. A notable improvement in the cold-side temperature is also observed with higher pulse ratios, with the pin geometry achieving a minimum cold-side temperature of 276 K. Furthermore, the cooling load affects the temperature on both sides of the TEC. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing thermoelectric coolers for electronic cooling applications using pulse current methods.

Solar-Powered Peltier-Based Air Cooler and Warmer in Medical Systems

Presently, there are many more commercial applications for thermoelectric Peltier coolers, notably portable air/water refrigerators, electronics cooling processes, thermal management systems in medical applications, and others. Thus, the goal of this project is to develop an experimentally-based optimisation procedure for powered by sunlight peltier-based air conditioners and heaters for use in hospitals that are capable of running continuously. This enables patients to cook meals in the heating element and keep drugs in the cold compartment inside the cooler, both functions being incorporated into one model while also reducing the device’s dimensions and requirement for space. In this study, a model that employs perturb and observe (P&O) approaches applied to solar systems under constant and partially shady circumstances was powered by the Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) methodology. Additionally, the Internet of Things modules offer user and autonomous management, while the entire system is tracked and shown on an OLED. An appropriate number of modules also reduces the expense per cooling unit for Peltier coolers and warmers.

Tunable electrocaloric effect in selective ferroelectric bilayers via electrostatics for solid-state refrigeration and microelectronics thermal management

Ferroelectric (FE) electrocaloric materials research has been blossoming worldwide for solid-state refrigeration and potential cooling systems replacing thermoelectric Peltier coolers in microelectronics. In this work, we report the outcomes from a systematic study of combined phase transition (thermodynamics) based on the phenomenological Landau theory and distributed electric field (electrostatics of thin film interfaces) in FE bilayer films. Specifically, the compositional variation of ferroelectric bilayers results in broken spatial inversion symmetry leading to asymmetric thermodynamic potentials due to a combination of normal (first- and second-order phase transition) and relaxor (dispersive dielectric constant) ferroelectric behaviors devised for efficient electrocaloric cooling effects. Extensive theoretical analyses conducted for bilayers consisting of insulating materials highlight modified phase transition temperature behavior and self-poling by effective electric field amplification arising due to bilayers’ electrostatic coupling yielding significant changes in isothermal entropy (ΔS) and adiabatic temperature (ΔT). The theoretical calculation insights supported with experimental results signify, through case studies for a combination of materials experimental parameters, that amplification of the local electric field and materials engineering maximize the number of coexisting phases at or away from the morphotropic phase boundary of constituent layers in bilayer thin film architectures, which can be applicable toward other classes of materials and multilayer systems. These are effective ways for efficient cooling, in general, and for microelectronics thermal management either directly or by developing a thermal switch with phase change materials integrated with thermoelectric coolers for residual heat dissipation, both at the system and on-chip levels.

A novel experimental case study on optimization of Peltier air cooler using Taguchi method

Nowadays, the commercial application of Thermoelectric Peltier cooler has widely increased including portable air/water refrigerator, electronic cooling process, thermal management systems in medical science, water distillation process and so on. Many studies have proved that the thermal/exergetic/economic performance of Peltier cooler significantly depends on fluid flow conditions on both sides of the module, input power and number of Peltier modules. Hence, in this research, attempts are made to provide an experimental-based optimization process for Peltier air cooler using well-known Taguchi method. Thermal fluid conditions, input power and number of modules (in the same total input power) are varied to optimize the cooler from COP (coefficient of performance), exergetic efficiency and cost per unit of cooling viewpoints. Number of modules are changed from 1 to 2, 3 and then 4 modules. The air flow rate and input power are varied between 30 and 78 m3/h and 22–60 W respectively for each tested mode. The results indicate that, the greater number of modules provides higher COP (in the same total input power). Optimum number of modules minimizes the cost per unit of cooling of the Peltier cooler. Increment of air flow on the cold side, increases and then decreases the COP of the cooler which is meaningful. Number of modules was found as the most effective factor while input power and thermal fluid conditions are as the second and the third effective parameters. Interestingly, Taguchi method can identify the impact level of each factor (number of modules, input power and air flow) on desired parameters (COP, cooling cost and exergy efficiency) as reported and discussed in this paper.

Peltier thermoelectric cooler improves both the signal-to-noise ratio and warm-up time of high-power LED induced fluorescence detector and application to aflatoxins

High-power LED induced fluorescence detector (HP-LED-IF) suffers from problems of large noise and poor baseline stability. In this study, a Peltier thermoelectric cooler (PTC) was utilized to stabilize the HP-LED junction temperature of a HP-LED-IF to reduce the baseline noise for the first time. Compared with traditional fan cooling, the signal-to-noise ratio was improved to 3.8 times, and the warm-up time was shortened by 64.4%. For application, a 365/450 nm HP-LED-IF was constructed and coupled with HPLC for detection of aflatoxins. The limits of detections (LODs, 3 times peak-to-peak noise) for aflatoxin G2 and B2 were 1.2 and 1.0 pg/mL, respectively. In-situ photochemical derivatization reaction of G1 and B1 in 28 μL detection cell within 2.1 s flow time was found surprisingly for the first time, which enhanced the fluorescence signal by about 10 times. The LODs for aflatoxin G1 and B1 were 3.4 and 2.4 pg/mL, respectively. These LODs are among the lowest values that have been reported. This study provides a key technique to improve both the signal-to-noise ratio and warm-up time of HP-LED-IFs and a novel in-situ derivatization method for aflatoxins G1 and B1.

An Investigation of Thermoelectric Generators Used as Energy Harvesters in a Water Consumption Meter Application

In this study, we present the results of measuring the performance of selected Peltier cells such as thermoelectric Peltier cooler modules (TEC), thermoelectric micro-Peltier cooler modules (TES), and thermoelectric Seebeck generator modules (TEG). The achieved results are presented in the form of graphs of powering system output voltage or power efficiency functions of the load impedance. Moreover, a technical solution is also presented that consists of designing a water consumption power supply system, using a renewable energy source in the form of a Peltier cell. The developed measuring system does not require additional batteries or an external power source. The energy needed to power the system was obtained from the temperature difference between two sides of a thermoelectric cell, caused by the measured medium which was flowing in a copper water pipe. All achieved results were investigated for the temperature difference from 1 to 10 K in relation to the ambient temperature.

Distributed and localized cooling with thermoelectrics

G. Jeffrey Snyder is a Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University in Evanston Illinois. His interests are focused on engineering of electronic and thermal properties, and he is well known for his work on thermoelectric materials. He has developed new methods of electron band structure engineering and microstructure engineering of thermal and electrical properties of complex materials. His interdisciplinary approach stems from his background in solid state chemistry at Cornell University and the Max Planck Institute for solid state research, applied physics at Stanford University, and thermoelectric materials and device engineering at NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology (Caltech).

ВЛИЯНИЕ ФОРМЫ ИМПУЛЬСА ТОКА НА ДИНАМИКУ ТЕМПЕРАТУРНОГО ПОЛЯ ВЕТВИ ТЕРМОЭЛЕКТРИЧЕСКОГО ОХЛАДИТЕЛЯ

Numerical simulation of thermoelectric processes in a branch of a solid–state thermoelectric Peltier cooler in a non–stationary mode is performed. Some examples show the effect of changes in the amplitude of the current pulse over time on the temperature in the branch of the thermoelectric element.

CFD analysis for predicting cooling time of a domestic refrigerator with thermoelectric cooling system

Abstract In this work, Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was conducted considering three different turbulence (viscous) models for a fresh food compartment of a domestic refrigerator (DR), in order to not only gain idea on cooling down time rate of fresh food compartment but also present air and temperature distribution inside the compartment when it is loaded. The refrigerator composes of three compartments: Fresh food (FFC), chill (CC) and freezer (FC). The FFC compartment is cooled by a thermoelectric/Peltier cooler (TEC) while the other compartments are handled by a vapour compression (VC) system. To measure cooling times, tests were conducted according to new IEC62552:2015 standard in climatic chambers and the cooling time was measured as 146.5 min. The predictions of developed CFD model clearly visualize the airflow and temperature fields inside the FFC. Concerning numerical predictions for the packages in the upper regions were in better agreement (below 10%) with measurements than the predictions for the packages in the lower regions mainly due to convective heat transfer behaviour.

Comparison between two-stage and three-stage Peltier thermoelectric coolers driven by pulse width modulation

Thermoelectric device is one of electronic devices commonly used as temperature sensors, electrical generators, and cooling devices. Peltier thermoelectric cooler as a promising device offers greater performance in terms of electronic cooler, especially for computer components. However, the performance of single-stage thermoelectric cooler is limited. For certain optoelectronic devices, it cannot achieve a desired temperature to pump heat from the devices. In addition, to drive temperature of the thermoelectric coolers, a complex interface circuit should be made. In this research, two-stage and three-stage cascaded Thermoelectric Coolers driven by Pulse Width Modulation using Arduino and H-bridge Motor Driver were examined. The three-stage Peltier thermoelectric cooler showed better performance than the two-stage, where it achieved higher temperature difference between hot and cold. Both cascaded thermoelectric coolers had distinct temperatures in each interstage connection, with increasing values from near cold side to near hot side.

Experimental study of a mini cooler by using Peltier thermoelectric cell

A 20 x 26 x 18 mm mini thermoelectric Peltier cooler was designed and built in this study. The Peltier thermoelectric cell was sandwiched between an external and internal heat sinks that acted to remove heat from the cooler box. When the Peltier thermoelectric cell connected to an external power source, the Peltier effect caused the heat from the refrigerator internal space to be conducted and removed to the ambient. The experimental data from this study were used to validate the theoretical thermal resistance model. It was found that the Peltier cooler was able to produce COP higher than 0.5 which the output was quite high compared to previous studies. This cooler was able to lower cooler box temperature down to 18.5 °C from the ambient temperature by removing 25W of heat. In the future, the validated theoretical model could be used to estimate the suitable design parameter such as the type of heat sinks, the size of the cooler, the cooling temperature and the cooler performance including the coefficient of performance (COP).

Performance of thermoelectric cooling system with smart graphical user interface for solidifying liquid sample

A Thermoelectric Heat Pump (THP) controller system with smart Graphical User Interface (GUI) was introduced to solidify liquid samples for laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis. This paper describes the smart GUI and THP controller system based on the Arduino platform. The THP controller system was built to provide a user-friendly smart GUI for controlling the Peltier Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) temperature and monitoring the sample temperature acquired from the temperature sensor. Instructions on the construction of the smart GUI and THP controller circuit were explained in this paper. The experimental results on solidifying distilled water and maintaining its freezing phase are presented in this work that demonstrated the excellent performance of the developed system.

Effect of Cascading the Thermoelectric Peltier Cooler on COP and Cooling Load

Effect of Cascading the Thermoelectric Peltier Cooler on COP and Cooling Load

Design of segmented thermoelectric Peltier coolers by topology optimization

A density-based topology optimization approach is used to optimize the cooling power and efficiency (coefficient of performance) of thermoelectric coolers by spatially distributing two different thermoelectric materials in a two dimensional design space. With basis in three numerical examples we identify important model parameters, such as the choice of objective function, the temperatures of the thermal reservoirs, the heat transfer rates and the available electrical energy. By using the topology optimization approach, we demonstrate that the cooling power and efficiency of thermoelectric coolers can be improved by 48.7% and 11.4%, respectively, compared to optimization results from in the literature.

Improvement of laser induced breakdown spectroscopy signal for sodium chloride solution

Laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is one of the analytical spectroscopy technique used in determining elemental composition of solid, liquid or gas sample using high energy laser pulse. However, LIBS technique associated with liquid sample often suffers from strong splashing and shockwave, thereby affecting the LIBS experiment repeatability and performance analysis. Therefore, a simple and quick-freeze sample pre-treatment approach using Peltier Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) to solidify the water is applied to maintain the inherent homogeneity and chemical composition of the initial liquid sample before each LIBS analysis. This approach successfully solidified and maintained the liquid sample at its freezing point throughout the LIBS signal acquisition process. In this work, the qualitative analysis liquid samples and its solidified form, consisting of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mol/L sodium chloride (NaCl) were determined under similar experimental conditions by using LIBS. Plasmas were produced by focusing the output of Nd: YAG laser (1064nm, 6 ns and 1 Hz) on the surface of the bulk NaCl solution and its solidified form. LIBS signatures for sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl) atomic emission lines (589.00 and 499.55 nm, respectively) were collected for estimating sodium and chlorine depositions in NaCl solutions to indicate correlation between their assay and LIBS measurements. For solidified sample, Na and Cl showed improved signal-to-noise ratio and limits of detection (47.8% and 8.8%, respectively) without the difficulties usually associated with liquid samples, demonstrating the benefits of this sample pre-treatment approach.

Use of Ice-Nucleating Proteins To Improve the Performance of Freeze-Thaw Valves in Microfluidic Devices.

Currently, reliable valving on integrated microfluidic devices fabricated from rigid materials is confined to expensive and complex methods. Freeze-thaw valves (FTVs) can provide a low cost, low complexity valving mechanism, but reliable implementation of them has been greatly hindered by the lack of ice nucleation sites within the valve body's small volume. Work to date has required very low temperatures (on the order of -40 °C or colder) to induce freezing without nucleation sites, making FTVs impractical due to instrument engineering challenges. Here, we report the use of ice-nucleating proteins (INPs) to induce ice formation at relatively warm temperatures in microfluidic devices. Microfluidic channels were filled with buffers containing femtomolar INP concentrations from Pseudomonas syringae. The channels were cooled externally with simple, small-footprint Peltier thermoelectric coolers (TECs), and the times required for channel freezing (valve closure) and thawing (valve opening) were measured. Under optimized conditions in plastic chips, INPs made sub-10 s actuations possible at TEC temperatures as warm as -13 °C. Additionally, INPs were found to have no discernible inhibitory effects in model enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays or polymerase chain reactions, indicating their compatibility with microfluidic systems that incorporate these widely used bioassays. FTVs with INPs provide a much needed reliable valving scheme for rigid plastic devices with low complexity, low cost, and no moving parts on the device or instrument. The reduction in freeze time, accessible actuation temperatures, chemical compatibility, and low complexity make the implementation of compact INP-based FTV arrays practical and attractive for the control of integrated biochemical assays.

Development and characterisation of a gas system and its associated slow-control system for an ATLAS small-strip thin gap chamber testing facility

A quality assurance and performance qualification laboratory was built at McGill University for the Canadian-made small-strip Thin Gap Chamber (sTGC) muon detectors produced for the 2019–2020 ATLAS experiment muon spectrometer upgrade. The facility uses cosmic rays as a muon source to ionise the quenching gas mixture of pentane and CO2 flowing through the sTGC detector. A gas system was developed and characterised for this purpose, with a simple and efficient gas condenser design utilizing a Peltier thermoelectric cooler (TEC). The gas system was tested to provide the desired 45 vol% pentane concentration. For continuous operations, a state-machine system was implemented with alerting and remote monitoring features to run all cosmic-ray data-acquisition associated slow-control systems, such as high/low voltage, gas system and environmental monitoring, in a safe and continuous mode, even in the absence of an operator.

Frequency stabilization of ambience-isolated internal-mirror He–Ne lasers by thermoelectric-cooling thermal compensation

An approach for frequency stabilization of an ambience-isolated internal-mirror He–Ne laser (632.8 nm) utilizing temperature control of the laser tube with Peltier thermoelectric coolers is demonstrated. Measurements indicate that there are an optimal temperature (23 °C) and an optimal discharge current (5.5 mA) of laser tube for which the laser light power is separately maximized. To prevent the effect of fluctuation of discharge current on the laser stability, an adjustable current source is designed and fabricated so that the current is set to be optimal (5.50 ± 0.01 mA). To isolate the laser tube from the environment, the laser metallic box connected to two Peltier thermoelectric coolers is surrounded by two thermal and acoustic insulator shells. The laser has two longitudinal modes very often. Any change in the frequency of longitudinal modes at the optimal temperature is monitored by sampling the difference of longitudinal modes’ intensities. Therefore, using a feedback mechanism, the current of thermoelectric coolers is so controlled that the frequency of modes stays constant on the gain profile of the laser. The frequency stability is measured equal to 1.17 × 10−9 (∼2700×) for less than 1 min and 2.57 × 10−9 (∼1200×) for more than 1 h.