Optimal sizing of a thermoelectric heat pump (THP) for heating energy-efficient buildings

• A new optimal sizing method of thermoelectric heat pump coupled to building was proposed.
• Three COP definitions have been compared: nominal, THP and THP coupled to building.
• Three sizing optimized methods based on heating law, PG and ideal case with variable Nmod.
• The PG method can improve the COP (+4%) and reduce significantly the number of modules (−39%).
• This result is of great importance to reduce the cost of such systems.

This paper aims to determine the optimal design and operating conditions of an air-to-air thermoelectric heat pump (THP) composed of thermoelectric modules (TEMs) and two heat sinks, coupled to an energy-efficient building. We focus on the optimal number of TEMs and the optimal electrical current for three standard cases. The performance is quantified using two different coefficients of performance (COP) definitions: performance of THP only (COPHP) and performance of THP coupled to an energy-efficient building (COPu). These COP are also studied for both instantaneous and seasonal conditions. We show that for each coupling, a range of modules exists, with which the maximum performance of the THP can be approached, by simply adapting the electrical current for each condition. Finally, the seasonal performance COPHPs/COPus for the French city of Macon is estimated and compared for the three cases considered. The original sizing approach proposed here leads to a slight increase of the COPHPs/COPus (up to +4%), compared to the classical design based on instantaneous nominal conditions (norm). Moreover, we show that the optimal number of modules can be largely reduced (up to −39% for the cases considered) compare with nominal condition method.

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