Thermoelectric Cooler with Different Fins Configuration

Abstract

Thermoelectric coolers are solid-state devices that use the Peltier effect to convert electrical energy into a temperature gradient, cooling one side and heating the other. Their main advantages are compact size, absence of moving parts, and low noise emissions. However, the low performance coefficient of thermoelectric coolers is a significant limitation. Regarding the fins design, Comparative analysis for plate-fin heat sink with Cross-fin stated improvements in both overall and convective heat transfer coefficients for the cross-fin design, registering increases of 11% and 15%, respectively. It is also stated that the perforated pin configuration demonstrates the highest heat transfer coefficient at 89.50 W/m²K, followed by the perforated flat plate at 87.60 W/m²K and the solid pin-fins at 82.60 W/m²K. Conversely, the solid flat plate exhibits the lowest heat transfer coefficient at 82.40 W/m²K. These indicates that conventional designs have relatively low heat transfer coefficients, indicating a need for further investigation and the application of new designs. While some studies have examined individual design factors, research on their combined effects on system performance is limited. Additionally, there is a lack of research on optimizing heat sink designs, particularly concerning fin types and shapes in thermoelectric coolers. This gap hinders our ability to optimize thermoelectric cooler designs for maximum efficiency and effectiveness in real-world applications. This study aims to determine the performance optimization of thermoelectric coolers by analysing the impact of various design parameters such as fin shapes and different designs, airspeed, and current on their efficiency and effectiveness.