THE PERFORMANCE OF A REFRIGERATOR USING COOLING THERMOELECTRIC MODULES

ROXANA MARE - PhD. Eng., Faculty of Building Services, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, e-mail:roxana.mare@insta.utcluj.ro Rezumat: Modulele termoelectrice semiconductoare de rcire sunt utilizate pentru realizarea micro-frigiderelor. Lucrarea de fa ia n considerare unele avantajele pe care le prezint utilizarea TEC n raport cu componentele tradiionale ale unui refrigerator. n scopul obinerii unor rezultate, a fost realizat o instalaie experimental. Astfel, prin urilizarea modulelor termoelectrice semiconductoare de rcire, condensatorul i vaporizatorul au fost eliminate din instalaia iniial. Ca o consecin, rezult dou aspecte importante: primul l constituie eliminarea din instalaie a celui mai important factor poluant agentul frigorific; frigiderul devine astfel mult mai ecologic, iar mediul nconjurtor este mai puin poluat; cel de-al doilea aspect l reprezint obinerea volumului maxin n interiorul micro-refrigeratorului. Experimentele realizate indic o performan mai ridicat a micro-frigiderului cu module termoelectrice de rcire. S-a obinut un control mult mai riguros al temperaturii interioare a micro-refrigeratorului. De asemenea, att temperatura interioar a micro-frigiderului, ct i variaia acesteia n timp depind de puterea electric consumat de instalaia experimental. Abstract: The cooling thermoelectric modules are being used for micro-refrigerators. The present paper is taking into consideration some of the advantages presented by TEC in comparison with the traditional components of the refrigerators. In order to achieve some results an experimental installation has been realized. By using the cooling thermoelectric modules, the condenser and the vaporizer are removed from the plant. Due to this fact, there are two important aspects: the first one is that the polluting element of the classic installation the refrigerant, is eliminated; the refrigerator becomes more ecologic and the environment is less polluted; on the second direction, we obtain the maximum useful volume inside the micro-refrigerator. The experiments made also show a better performance of the microrefrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules. It is obtained a more precious control of the inside temperature of the micro-refrigerator. Also, both the inside temperature of the microrefrigerator and the temperature variation rate depend in time on the electric power used by the installation. Keywords: inside temperature, minimum inside temperature variation, wattage, time, TEC, environment

1. Introduction

The cooling thermoelectric modules are technical elements used in different applications from some decades. These Peltier devices may be used for both heating and cooling two environments thereby making it suitable for precious temperature control applications. By applying a direct current DC voltage through the solid-state conductors a temperature differential appears between them and the heat is moved from one side to another through the thermoelectric module. While one side of the TEC is being cooled, the other face is simultaneously heated. The phenomenon can be reversed by changing the polarity of the direct current DC (plus and minus).

1.1 Thermoelectric Module Construction

The cooling thermoelectric modules are compound of the followings (see Fig. 1): 2 ceramic plates that provides the mechanical and electrical integrity of the TEC module; thermoelectric TE elements N-type and P-type (solid state materials Bismuth Telluride) that form pellets or couples;

the carriers moving heat which are the electrons that move from N to P junction; electric conductors provide serial electric contacting of the pellets [1]; leading wires that deliver current from the DC power source.

Fig. 1 Simplified scheme of the TEC module

In order to obtain better results, the N-P pellets are connected electrically in series and thermally in parallel.

1.2 Usage
TEC are used in many applications, such as: micro-refrigerators, movable refrigerators, small coolers, liquid coolers, current generators, etc. For this paper, cooling thermoelectric modules are used to realize an installation that contains a microrefrigerator with the inner volume of 2 dm3 of whose performance is studied. In order to achieve a greater performance of the refrigerator, TEC modules are serial disposed.

1.3 Advantages and Disadvantages

The use of thermoelectric modules presents a significant number of advantages: environmentally friendly no chlorofluorocarbons or any other materials that requires periodic replenishment no moving parts maintenance-free highly precious control of the inside temperature long operation lifetime : 100,000 200,000 hours no position dependence they fit into tight geometric space constraint, etc. The main disadvantage that can appear beside all these benefits is still the higher price of TE modules and their sensibility to high thermal shocks.

2. Classical Refrigerator vs Refrigerator Using TEC Modules

Before analyzing the performance of the micro-refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules, is interesting to make a comparison between this type of refrigerator already mentioned and the classical refrigerator. The problem will not be expanded because it is not the purpose of this paper. The comparison remains only at the scheme stage without further explanations.

2.1 Classical Refrigerator

The common refrigerator that everybody knows consists of the following (see fig. 2): The cold storage room (1) Compressor (2) Condenser (3) Vaporizer (5) Reducing valve (4) Thermometers (7) Connecting pipes (6)

Fig. 2 The simplified scheme of the classical refrigerator

2.2 The Refrigerator Using TEC Modules

Figure 3 presents the detail of the micro-refrigerator with thermoelectric modules in order to observe the main differences that appear in the construction of the two specified types of refrigerators.

Fig. 3 Detail of the micro-refrigerator with thermoelectric modules

The micro-refrigerator with TEC modules is made of: The cold storage room (1) The cooling thermoelectric modules disposed in series (2) Bed plate (3) Electric wires (4) Water pipes (5) Electric charger (6). Only by looking at the two schemes in this chapter, it is easily to see and set off the great differences that appear between them. First of all, it is the dissappearance of the condenser, compressor and vaporizer in the case of the use of the thermoelectric modules. Due to this fact, the refrigerant polluting element is eliminated from the system and the environment is less polluted. The refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules become hereby more ecologic. Second, because of the displacement of some components of the common refrigerator with TEC, it is obtained the maximum volume inside the refrigerator in the last case.

3. General description of the refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules

The experimental refrigerator using TEC was conceived of validating the calculation model which will be presented in Chapter 4 and futhermore, studying its performance. Figure 4 features the components of the refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules.

Fig. 4. The experimental micro-refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules

The refrigerator from the two mentioned figures is compound of [2]:

2 graduated recipients for water flow; elastic pipe (1); micro-refrigerator (2) with the inside volume of 2 dm3 and dimensions: 260 mm height, 315 mm width, 175 mm thickness the insulating bed thickness of 24 mm; 4 TEC modules disposed in series at the bottom of the cold storage room for a better performance of the refrigerator; underneath the cooling thermoelectric modules is the cooling bed plate wherethrough the cooling water flows; the inside temperature of the cold storage room is sensed by the 2 channels recording thermometer (3) with precision of C; the electric charger (4) delivers continuous current at 220 V / 10 A. For this experiment, the values of the DC amperage and voltage are as follows: 1.2 A, 1.15V; 2.85 A, 2.6 V; 4.5 A, 4 V; 6 A, 4.5 V; a chronometer was used to record the operating time of the micro-refrigerator.

5. Performance
The purpose of the performed experiment was: to determine the temperature variation inside the refrigerator dependent on time, knowing the exterior temperature of 18 20C, the constant cooling water flow and the variation of the wattage spent by the refrigerator; to determine the minimum temperature variation inside the refrigerator dependent on the wattage spent by TEC modules, at the same exterior temperature and cooling water flow.

But, before detail the already mentioned experiment, is more proper to explain the minimum inside temperature calculation model. Hereby, the minimum temperature that can be obtained inside the refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules is given by the relation [3]:

tomin = tc -

(1)

where: tc is the hot weld temperature, in K; - Peltier coefficient, in J/As; K coefficient, in W/K; R the total resistance of the thermo-element. The minimum inside temperature is a function of many parameters involved [2]: tomin = f(P, , Da, tar, tma, n, m, ....) where: P is the power spent by the thermoelectric modules (P = UI), in W; the TEC modules operating time, in min; Da cooling water flow, in l/h; tar the inflowing cooling agent temperature, in C; tma the exterior temperature, in C; n the number of the thermoelectric modules; m the position of the modules inside the refrigerator; heat conductance, in W/mK. After all these specifications, we can now analyze the results obtained from the experiment. (2)

Fig. 5 Temperature variation inside the refrigerator dependent on time

Figure 5 features the temperature variation inside the refrigerator dependent on time at the spent wattage. By analyzing the temperature variation curves can easily observe that the inside temperature of the refrigerator using thermoelectric modules decreases from the initial value of 12C (for an electric power of 1.38 W) to a final value dependent on the spent wattage, after almost 40 minutes.

For a water flow of 7 l/h, the inside temperature of the refrigerator varies exponential and keep the same law of variation for each value of the spent wattage. A particular case appears for the wattage of 27 W; after about 24 minutes of performance, the temperature variation blocks, presenting the same value of the temperature for all next time periods. This is, probably, due to reaching the nominal value of 6 A of the thermoelectric modules amperage. The temperature variation rate can also be determined by applying the next formula:

(3)

It depends on the spent wattage, but we can observe that it is maximum in the interval of 0 to 22 minutes for each value of the wattage; for example, for wattage of 18 W, the maximum temperature variation rate is 1.6 C/min. After 22 minutes, the temperature variation rate reduces considerably, reaching the value of only 0.033C/min for the same 18 W wattage. Afterwards the entire system reaches steady-state conditions. As we have already specified, the exterior temperature and the cooling water flow of TEC modules remain the same as for the first calculation; 18 20C exterior temperature and 7 l/h cooling water. The minimum temperature varies inside the refrigerator using TEC with the spent wattage (see Fig. 6).

Fig. 6 Minimum temperature variation inside the refrigerator depending on the spent wattage

From the minimum inside temperature variation plot results that for decreasing the inside temperature with 1C, 0.46 W/dm3 will be spent. It is also noticeable the exponential trend of the curve.

6. Conclusions
The use of cooling thermoelectric modules simplifies very much the construction of the refrigerator. Three important components of the classic refrigerator are being parted: the compressor, the vaporizer and the condenser. Due to this fact, the inside volume of the refrigerator maximazes. Along with this, the most polluting factor is eliminated too from the installation the refrigerant. Hereby, the experimental refrigerator using TEC becomes more environmentally friendly.

The performance of the refrigerator using cooling thermoelectric modules is higher than the one of the common refrigerator. It is given by the variation of the inside temperature dependent on time and wattage. Dependent on the spent wattage, the inside temperature decreases even with 11C 12 C during the operating time of almost 40 minutes. As long as the nominal values of the thermoelectric parameters are not exceeded and the operating time is longer, the inside temperature can go even below 0C and the minimum inside temperature variation curve decreases exponentially, too.

References
[1] http://www.rmtltd.ru/articles/Thermoelectric%20Cooling%20Modules.pdf [2] Badea, G., Mare, R. - Instalaia frigorific cu module termoelectrice semiconductoare de rcire, tiina modern i energia, Ediia XXIX, Editura Risoprint, Cluj-Napoca, p. 72-77, 2010 [3] Chiriac, Fl. - Instalaii frigorifice EDP, Bucureti , 1981 [4] Stamatescu, C. - Tehnica frigului (vol. 1) Editura Tehnic, Bucureti, 1972 [5] Cristea, A., Cristea, P. - De la efectul Peltier la modulele termoelectrice semiconductoare de rcire Buletin de fizic i chimie, anul XI, vol. 11, Bucureti, 1987, pp. 267-270 [6] Riffat, S.B., Ma, X. - Optimum selection (design) of thermoelectric modules for large capacity heat pump applications, International Journal of Energy Research, Wiley Interscience (John Wiley and Sons, Ltd.), Vol. 28, 2004, pp. 1231 1242 [7] http://www.lairdtech.com/WorkArea/linkit.aspx?LinkIdentifier=id&ItemID [8] http://www.ferrotec.com/technology/thermoelectric