Parameter analysis and optimal design for two-stage thermoelectric cooler

Wang, Tianhu; Wang, Qiuhong; Leng, Chuan; Wang, Xiaodong

doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.04.104

Cited by 62 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…In common practical applications, however, TECs usually operate with T H-C − T L-C > 0. Wang et al [9,12] have proved that Q L-C increases with decreasing temperature difference of T H-C − T L-C under the same injection current (see Figure 5 in [9] and Figure 9 in [12]). Consequently, Q L-C will reach its maximum value when T H-C − T L-C = 0 K. To obtain a maximum of Q L-C , T H-C = T L-C = 300 K is adopted in the present work.…”

Section: Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Under this circumstance, the electric current, electric potential, temperature, electric field are all multi-physically coupled with each other. Hence, a 3D multi-physics complex coupling thermoelectric model developed by our previous work [9,12,44,45] is adopted as the direct problem solver in the present study. To facilitate solving the model, the following assumptions are adopted: (1) the electric and thermal contact resistances between thermoelectric couple/metallic connector and metallic connector/ceramic plate are neglected; (2) the radiative heat loss and convective heat transfer loss to the environment are not of concern.…”

Section: Governing Equationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…where Q L-C is the absorbed heat pumped from the cold end of the lower stage in TEC, and Q H-G is the total heat supplied from the hot end of the top stage in TEG. The governing Equations (8)- (12) are iteratively solved to determine the temperature distributions and electric potential profile in the CTE. When the temperature difference across the TEG is established, the heat flux will be driven from the hot end on the top stage to the cold end on the lower stage of the TEG.…”

Section: The Cte Performance Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Optimization of Two-Stage Combined Thermoelectric Devices by a Three-Dimensional Multi-Physics Model and Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm

Meng

Wang

2019

Energies

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Due to their advantages of self-powered capability and compact size, combined thermoelectric devices, in which a thermoelectric cooler module is driven by a thermoelectric generator module, have become promising candidates for cooling applications in extreme conditions or environments where the room is confined and the power supply is sacrificed. When the device is designed as two-stage configuration for larger temperature difference, the design degree is larger than that of a single-stage counterpart. The element number allocation to each stage in the system has a significant influence on the device performance. However, this issue has not been well-solved in previous studies. This work proposes a three-dimensional multi-physics model coupled with multi-objective genetic algorithm to optimize the optimal element number allocation with the coefficient of performance and cooling capacity simultaneously as multi-objective functions. This method increases the accuracy of performance prediction compared with the previously reported examples studied by the thermal resistance model. The results show that the performance of the optimized device is remarkably enhanced, where the cooling capacity is increased by 23.3% and the coefficient of performance increased by 122.0% compared with the 1# Initial Solution. The mechanism behind this enhanced performance is analyzed. The results in this paper should be beneficial for engineers and scientists seeking to design a combined thermoelectric device with optimal performance under the constraint of total element number.

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Section: Boundary Conditionsmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Governing Equationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Cte Performance Metricsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Optimization of Two-Stage Combined Thermoelectric Devices by a Three-Dimensional Multi-Physics Model and Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm

Meng

Wang

2019

Energies

Self Cite

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“…Since the error of the performance curves provided by manufacturers is generally large, it is impossible for customers to determine whether the customized TEC can meet the requirements before experiment. In order to accurately evaluate the performance of TEC, amount of researches about the calculation model of TEC's performance have been carried out [1][2][3]. Although parameters required in the calculation model can hardly be obtained 2 of 16 from manufacturers, they can directly be measured.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Extraction of Temperature-Dependent Thermoelectric Material Parameters of a Thermoelectric Cooler by the Non-Linear Least Squares Method

et al. 2019

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This paper presents a method of extracting temperature-dependent parameters of thermoelectric material from the operating conditions of thermoelectric cooler (TEC). Based on the finite element method of calculating TEC’s performance, non-linear least squares method is used for extracting temperature-dependent material parameters including the seebeck coefficient, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity (α, ρ, κ) as operating current, thermal load and hot end temperature are taken as inputs and cooling temperature is taken as output. To further improve the voltage calculation accuracy, the electric resistance error factor which includes electrical contact resistance and the calculation model error is extracted with the voltage being output on the basis of extracted material parameters. The cooling temperature and voltage of another TEC with the same thermoelectric material are recalculated by the extracted parameters and the exact parameters provided by manufacturer respectively. Compared with the experimental results, the extracted material parameters have the advantages of high accuracy, wide application ranges and easily implementing in evaluating TECs’ performance.

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“…Furthermore, there was an optimal design of the TTPC to attain the optimized cooling capability and COP at a certain geometrical factors and working conditions. Wang et al [15] studied the effects of geometrical structure and applied currents on a two-stage TEC performance, an optimization was developed to attain the maximum cooling capacity of the two-stage TEC. Nemati et al [16] performed an exergetic analysis for an electrically separated two-stage thermoelectric cooler (STTEC).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%