Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are solid-state cooling devices which can be used in certain applications to reduce the operating temperature of electronics or increase their heat dissipation. However, the performance of the cooler is strongly influenced by the thermal system into which it is placed, and the cooler design should be optimized for a given system. In this work, the possible benefits of a TEC implemented within a realistic thermal system are quantified. Finite thermal conductances between the cooled device and the TEC and between the TEC and the heat sink are considered. The entire problem is treated using dimensionless parameters, which reduces the number of independent parameters and enables generalized performance maps which clearly show the maximum benefit (in terms of a reduced device temperature or increased device heat dissipation) that a prescribed TEC can deliver to a particular application. The use of these dimensionless parameters also allows for optimization of TEC parameters without considering the cooler detailed design geometry.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research-Article
Dimensionless Optimization of Thermoelectric Cooler Performance When Integrated Within a Thermal Resistance Network
Matthew R. Pearson,
Matthew R. Pearson
Thermal Fluid Sciences Department,
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: pearsomr@utrc.utc.com
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: pearsomr@utrc.utc.com
Search for other works by this author on:
Charles E. Lents
Charles E. Lents
Thermal Fluid Sciences Department,
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: lentsce@utrc.utc.com
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: lentsce@utrc.utc.com
Search for other works by this author on:
Matthew R. Pearson
Thermal Fluid Sciences Department,
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: pearsomr@utrc.utc.com
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: pearsomr@utrc.utc.com
Charles E. Lents
Thermal Fluid Sciences Department,
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: lentsce@utrc.utc.com
United Technologies Research Center,
411 Silver Lane,
East Hartford, CT 06118
e-mail: lentsce@utrc.utc.com
Contributed by the Heat Transfer Division of ASME for publication in the JOURNAL OF HEAT TRANSFER. Manuscript received November 12, 2014; final manuscript received March 21, 2016; published online April 26, 2016. Assoc. Editor: Ali Khounsary.
J. Heat Transfer. Aug 2016, 138(8): 081301 (11 pages)
Published Online: April 26, 2016
Article history
Received:
November 12, 2014
Revised:
March 21, 2016
Citation
Pearson, M. R., and Lents, C. E. (April 26, 2016). "Dimensionless Optimization of Thermoelectric Cooler Performance When Integrated Within a Thermal Resistance Network." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. August 2016; 138(8): 081301. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4033326
Download citation file:
Get Email Alerts
Cited By
External Conjugate Boiling On Channels. A Graetz Problem With Multiple Solutions
J. Heat Mass Transfer
Related Articles
Design and Optimization of Thermoelectric Cooling System Under Natural Convection Condition
J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl (October,2018)
Optimization of Thermoelectric Coolers for Hotspot Cooling in Three-Dimensional Stacked Chips
J. Electron. Packag (March,2015)
Design and Performance Assessment of Air Cycle Machine based Self Contained cooling system for Pod based EW Systems on Fighter Aircraft Platforms
J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl (January,0001)
Optimized design and simulation study of liquid-cooled heat sink model for IGBT module based on TPMS structure
J. Thermal Sci. Eng. Appl (January,0001)
Related Proceedings Papers
Related Chapters
Thermoelectric Coolers
Thermal Management of Microelectronic Equipment
Introduction
Consensus on Operating Practices for Control of Water and Steam Chemistry in Combined Cycle and Cogeneration
A Dependable Answer
Hot Air Rises and Heat Sinks: Everything You Know about Cooling Electronics Is Wrong