JIT Journal of Innovation and Technology e-ISSN: 2721-8562.
p-ISSN: 2721-8570 Vol.
No.
April 2025.
Page: 7 Ae 11 Investigation of Electrical Voltage Influence on Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) Performance in a Stacked Cooling Enclosure Sabiqunassabiqun 1,*.
Alfian Ady Saputra 2.
Eko Wahyu Saputra 1 1 Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Faculty of Engineering.
Universitas Lampung.
Gedung H Lt.
Jl.
Prof.
Soemnantri Brojonegoro No.
Bandar Lampung 35143.
Indonesia 2 Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Faculty of Engineering.
Universitas Pamulang PSDKU Serang Jl.
Raya Jakarta Km 5 No.
Kalodran.
Kec.
Walantaka.
Kota Serang.
Banten 42183.
Indonesia *Corresponding Author: sabiqun11@eng.
Article history Received: 25.
Revised: 22.
Accepted: 12.
DOI:10.
31629/jit.
Abstract The Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) is an environmentally friendly solid-state cooling technology with wide application potential.
This study aims to analyze the effect of voltage variation on the thermal performance of a TEC-based cooling system applied to a prototype cooling box.
The methodology involved designing a system with eight symmetrically installed TEC units, tested at five voltage levels: 16 V, 18 V, 20 V, 22 V, and 24 V.
Evaluated parameters included cold and hot side temperatures, heat absorbed (Q.
, and Coefficient of Performance (COP).
Experimental results revealed that increasing voltage up to 22 V significantly enhanced system efficiency, with the highest COP of 0.
25 and maximum Qc of 5.
However, at 24 V, performance declined due to excessive heat accumulation on the hot side of the TEC, exceeding heat dissipation In conclusion, an optimal input voltage of 22 V was identified to yield the most efficient cooling performance.
These findings support the applicability of TEC technology for compact and sustainable cooling Keywords: Thermoelectric Cooler, electrical voltage, thermal performance.
Coefficient of Performance Introduction One opportunities for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions is the thermoelectric cooler (TEC).
This system is considered an ideal solution due to its unique characteristics: it operates without noise, working fluids, or chemical reactions .
These advantages position TEC as an attractive alternative to conventional vapor-compression refrigeration systems, which often require harmful refrigerants and generate sound pollution.
A TEC component is a solid-state device that operates on the Peltier effect, a physical phenomenon where heat is absorbed or released at the junction of two dissimilar materials when an electric current flows through them.
This phenomenon enables the direct conversion of electrical energy into cooling without the need for moving parts, making it highly reliable and maintenance-free .
This solid-state design also contributes to its compact size, allowing for A 2020 This open access article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license.
Sabiqunassabiqun et al.
Journal of Innovation and Technology.
April 2025.
Vol.
6 No.
DOI: 10.
31629/jit.
integration into applications with strict space constraints .
TEC development is currently being extensively pursued due to its broad range of potential applications.
Significant applications that have been and are being developed include cooling 5G communication chips to maintain high-speed device performance .
, cooling medical devices requiring precise temperature control for biological sample stability .
, and cooling microchips in modern electronic systems to prevent overheating and extend device lifespan .
This versatility demonstrates TEC's adaptability to diverse industrial and scientific In addition to their varied applications.
TEC devices also offer numerous substantial advantages over conventional cooling methods.
These benefits include noise-free operation, maintenance-free performance due to the absence of moving parts.
Furthermore, they do not require liquid media such as refrigerants, which pose risks of leakage or environmental contamination .
This combination of characteristics positions TEC as a highly relevant and strategic technology in the global endeavor to develop more efficient, environmentally friendly, and sustainable cooling systems for the future .
heat absorption from the cooled space.
On the other hand, a heatsink is affixed to the hot side of the TEC to effectively dissipate heat to the surrounding To improve the heat transfer coefficient from the heatsink and induce forced convective cooling, a fan is utilized to blow ambient air over the heatsink fins.
For precise temperature monitoring, thermocouples are strategically placed at three key locations: the TEC cold face, the TEC hot face, and within the interior of the cooling compartment.
Methods This research was conducted through the design and testing of an experimental cooling chamber prototype integrating TEC modules as the primary cooling components.
The system configuration consists of a cooling chamber equipped with eight TEC units, with four units each mounted on opposing right and left sides of the chamber.
This TEC arrangement was engineered to maximize cooling distribution within the chamber volume.
Figure 1 presents a schematic overview of the TEC-based experimental setup.
To investigate the effect of input power variations on cooling performance, five discrete voltage levelsAiranging from 16 V to 24 VAiwere applied to the TEC modules.
Figure 1.
Data acquisition scheme Temperature data from thermocouples were automatically recorded using a data logger, which subsequently transmitted the data to a computer for further processing.
Data acquisition was performed over a two-hour duration after activating the TEC system and fans for each voltage variation.
This timeframe was selected to ensure the system steady-state guaranteeing that the recorded data represent the cooling chamber's stable performance.
The collected data will be analyzed to evaluate key thermal performance parameters, including internal temperature drop, temperature differential across the TEC .
etween cold and hot side.
, and cooling efficiency at various input voltage levels.
Optimal heat transfer efficiency is achieved by arranging TEC units in a series-parallel configuration and carefully mounting them to ensure proper thermal interfacing.
The cold side of each TEC makes direct contact with the internal aluminum wall of the cooling enclosure, facilitating Comprehensive analysis of the experimental results will be conducted to determine the Sabiqunassabiqun et al.
Journal of Innovation and Technology.
April 2025.
Vol.
6 No.
DOI: 10.
31629/jit.
temperatures, followed by significant decreases during the first 0-20 minutes interval.
This rapid temperature reduction indicates the cooling transient phase where the system approaches steady-state conditions.
Beyond approximately 20 minutes, the cooling rate progressively diminishes, and between the 40-120 minutes of the interval, temperatures stabilize, confirming achievement of thermal steady-state.
relationship between input voltage fluctuations and the thermal performance of the cooling unit.
The collected temperature data will be presented graphically to show the cooling characteristics and how the system responds to changes in power input.
This analysis will involve calculating the coefficient of performance (COP) and the net heat transfer rate under several operating conditions.
Interpreting this data should yield a thorough understanding of the system's energy efficiency and its peak cooling capacity.
The Coefficient of Performance (COP) is calculated using Equation .
, where each parameter is determined through Equations .
In these equations.
Qc represents the heat absorbed at the TEC's cold side, while Pin denotes the input power required to operate the TEC.
Equation .
, signifies the Seebeck coefficient.
Tc is the cold-side temperature of the TEC, and k represents the thermal conductance.
Figure 2.
Cold side temperature Further observation of Figure 2 reveals that input voltage variations have a clear impact on the TEC cold side temperature.
Under conditions Tc1 to Tc4, higher applied electrical voltage results in a lower achievable cold side temperature once the system reaches steady-state.
For instance, curve Tc4 shows the lowest temperature at approximately 01AC, while curve Tc1 is around 7.
71AC.
This aligns with the TEC's operating principle, where an increase in current .
ue to increased voltag.
enhances the Peltier effect, thereby increasing the temperature difference between its cold and hot However, it's important to note that despite the temperature differences across voltage variations, the TEC cold side temperature tends to increase under certain voltage conditions, indicating a limitation in optimal cooling Results and Discussions This section details the experimental findings derived from the performance evaluation of a Thermoelectric Cooler (TEC) integrated into a cooling enclosure under varied electrical voltage The presented data encompasses the temperature profiles of both the cold and hot sides of the thermoelectric device throughout the cooling cycle, along with the established correlation between input voltage and the absorbed heat flux, as well as the system's Coefficient of Performance (COP).
The objective of this data analysis is to ascertain the optimal operational parameters and the thermal attributes of the developed cooling box prototype.
2 Profile Temperature Hot Side TEC Figure 3 presents the temperature profile graph on the hot side of the TEC (T.
, also for five variations of the applied electrical voltage.
Similar to the cold side, at the beginning of the experiment .
= 0 minute.
, the hot side temperature is relatively low and then rises sharply during the initial period before eventually reaching a steady- 1 Profile Temperature Cold Side TEC Figure 2 displays the cold-side temperature (T.
profiles of the TEC module under five applied voltage variations.
At the experiment's initiation .
= 0 mi.
, all curves exhibit relatively high initial Sabiqunassabiqun et al.
Journal of Innovation and Technology.
April 2025.
Vol.
6 No.
DOI: 10.
31629/jit.
capability driven by increased input power, which is in full agreement with the operational principles of the Peltier effect.
Interestingly, at 24 V, a slight decrease in the heat absorption rate is observed, dropping to 16 W.
This phenomenon indicates the existence of an optimal point in the applied electrical voltage, beyond which further voltage increase can lead to a decline in cooling This reduction is caused by excessive heat within the thermoelectric device, which diminishes the heat pumping efficiency, or by limitations in the hot side heat dissipation system .
eatsink and fa.
that can no longer accommodate the increased heat generation rate.
state condition.
This rapid temperature increase on the hot side indicates the heat dissipation generated by the Seebeck effect and the heat pumped from the cold side of the thermoelectric device.
After approximately 10-15 minutes, the hot side temperature begins to stabilize, demonstrating a balance between the heat generated and the heat released to the environment through the heatsink via forced convection.
Figure 3.
Hot side temperature Figure 3 clearly demonstrates that increased electrical voltage to the TEC module directly correlates with elevated hot-side temperatures under steady-state conditions.
The Th 5 curve .
ighest voltag.
achieves the maximum hot-side temperature of 53.
11AC, while Th 1 .
owest voltag.
remains around 41.
88AC.
This hot-side temperature rise can be attributed to greater electrical input power generating increased Joule heating, alongside enhanced heat pumping rates from the cold side.
Although higher hot-side temperatures facilitate heat rejection to the environment, excessive temperatures may reduce overall thermoelectric efficiency, as smaller temperature gradients limit cooling capacity.
Figure 4.
Heat absorbed 4 Coefficient of Performance (COP) In Figure 5, the Coefficient of Performance (COP) of the TEC in the cooling box system is plotted as a function of electrical voltage COP serves as a critical performance metric, quantifying cooling system efficiency as the ratio of absorbed cold-side heat (Q.
to the Analysis of the graph reveals a discernable increase in COP correlating with an escalation in electrical voltage from 16 V to 22 V.
At an input of 16 V, the system's COP measured 21, subsequently achieving a peak value of around 0.
25 at 22 V.
This observed improvement in COP within the specified range signifies a more efficient conversion of electrical energy into a cooling effect with increasing input power, up to an inflection point.
Similar to the absorbed heat trend, the COP value shows a slight decrease when electrical voltage increases from 22 V to 24 V, though not statistically significant.
At 24 V.
COP marginally declines to approximately 0.
This pattern reinforces prior observations of an optimal 3 Caloric Response at Cold Side Figure 4 graphically represents the dependence of the cold-side absorbed heat rate (Q.
of the thermoelectric module on the applied electrical The findings reveal a tendency for Qc to increase proportionally with the escalation of electrical voltage within the range of 16 V to 22 Specifically, the absorbed heat rate measured 54 W at 16 V, continuously ascending to a peak value of approximately 5.
W at 22 V.
This augmentation in Qc directly correlates with an enhanced thermoelectric cooling Sabiqunassabiqun et al.
Journal of Innovation and Technology.
April 2025.
Vol.
6 No.
DOI: 10.
31629/jit.
operating voltage around 22 V for this thermoelectric cooling system.
The COP reduction at higher voltages stems from a disproportionate increase in electrical power consumption relative to Q<sub>c</sub> enhancement.
That is, while absorbed heat remains substantial, the power required to achieve it becomes less efficient.
References