Improvement In The COP Of Thermoelectric Cooler

This paper described the study for heat transfer through thermoelectric cooler TEC by use of multistage thermoelectric module. To satisfy the heat dissipation of modern electronic element thermal designers have to increase fin area and fan speed to improve its cooling capacity. However the increase of fin area is restricted by the space. Besides the increase of fan speed would induce noise which damages human health. So air cooling by fan is hardly to meet the requirement of modern electronic component. Recently thermoelectric cooler TEC is applied to electronic cooling with the advantages of small size quietness and reliability. A typical thermoelectric cooler consists of p-type and n-type semiconductor pellets connected electrically in series and sandwiched between two ceramic substrates. Whenever direct current passes through the circuit it causes temperature differential between TEC sides. As a result one face of TEC which is called cold side will be cooled while its opposite face which is called hot side is simultaneously heated. The main problem over the use of TEC is the limited COP and its thermal performance. But these can be eliminated by use of multistage thermoelectric cooler.