| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1507501 | Cryogenics | 2014 | 6 Pages |
•A new approach to optimize thermoelectric cooling modules is proposed.•The cooling capacity is an input but not an output in the new analytic model.•Thermal and electrical contact resistances are included.•Optimum electric current and optimum thermoelement length can be easily obtained.
A theoretical investigation to optimize thermoelectric cooling modules is performed using a novel one-dimensional analytic model. In the model the optimum current, which maximizes the COP of a thermoelectric cooling module, is determined by the cooling capacity of a thermoelement, the hot and cold side temperatures, the thermal and electrical contact resistances and the properties of thermoelectric material, but not by the length of a thermoelement. The optimum length of a thermoelement can be easily obtained using the optimum current. The effects of the thermal and electrical contact resistances, the cooling capacity of a thermoelement and the cold side temperature on the maximum COP, the optimum electric current and the optimum thermoelement length are shown.
