IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v68y2014icp658-666.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Experimental evaluation of a prototype thermoelectric system integrated with PCM (phase change material) for space cooling

Author

Listed:
  • Zhao, Dongliang
  • Tan, Gang

Abstract

A prototype thermoelectric system integrated with PCM (phase change material) heat storage unit for space cooling has been introduced in this work. The PCM heat storage functions as cooling source and carries, partially at least, the cooling load during cooling operation. A simplified analytical model for the thermoelectric module has been adopted to investigate the theoretical performance characteristics of the modules. The experimental test in a reduced-scale chamber has achieved 7 °C temperature difference between “indoor” and “outdoor” environments and realized an average cooling COP (coefficient of performance) of 0.87 for the thermoelectric cooling system, with the maximum cooling COP of 1.22. Another comparison test for efficacy of PCM heat storage unit shows that 35.3% electrical energy has been saved from using PCM heat storage. During PCM charging (melting) process, natural convection has been observed playing a key effect factor of heat transfer in PCM.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhao, Dongliang & Tan, Gang, 2014. "Experimental evaluation of a prototype thermoelectric system integrated with PCM (phase change material) for space cooling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 658-666.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:658-666
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2014.01.090
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544214001121
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2014.01.090?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lee, HoSung, 2013. "Optimal design of thermoelectric devices with dimensional analysis," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 79-88.
    2. He, Wei & Zhou, Jinzhi & Hou, Jingxin & Chen, Chi & Ji, Jie, 2013. "Theoretical and experimental investigation on a thermoelectric cooling and heating system driven by solar," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 89-97.
    3. Miranda, Á.G. & Chen, T.S. & Hong, C.W., 2013. "Feasibility study of a green energy powered thermoelectric chip based air conditioner for electric vehicles," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 633-641.
    4. Abdul-Wahab, Sabah A. & Elkamel, Ali & Al-Damkhi, Ali M. & Al-Habsi, Is'haq A. & Al-Rubai'ey', Hilal S. & Al-Battashi, Abdulaziz K. & Al-Tamimi, Ali R. & Al-Mamari, Khamis H. & Chutani, Muhammad U., 2009. "Design and experimental investigation of portable solar thermoelectric refrigerator," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 30-34.
    5. Wang, Chien-Chang & Hung, Chen-I & Chen, Wei-Hsin, 2012. "Design of heat sink for improving the performance of thermoelectric generator using two-stage optimization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 236-245.
    6. Hermes, Christian J.L. & Barbosa, Jader R., 2012. "Thermodynamic comparison of Peltier, Stirling, and vapor compression portable coolers," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 51-58.
    7. Min, Gao & Rowe, D.M., 2006. "Experimental evaluation of prototype thermoelectric domestic-refrigerators," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(2), pages 133-152, February.
    8. Huang, Yu-Xian & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Lin, David Ta-Wei, 2013. "Geometry optimization of thermoelectric coolers using simplified conjugate-gradient method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 689-697.
    9. Meng, Jing-Hui & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Zhang, Xin-Xin, 2013. "Transient modeling and dynamic characteristics of thermoelectric cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 340-348.
    10. Wang, Xiao-Dong & Huang, Yu-Xian & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Ta-Wei Lin, David & Kang, Chung-Hao, 2012. "A three-dimensional numerical modeling of thermoelectric device with consideration of coupling of temperature field and electric potential field," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 488-497.
    11. Cheng, Tsung-Chieh & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Huang, Zhu-Zin & Liao, Guo-Chun, 2011. "Development of an energy-saving module via combination of solar cells and thermoelectric coolers for green building applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 133-140.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Li, Gang & Zheng, Xuefei, 2016. "Thermal energy storage system integration forms for a sustainable future," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 736-757.
    2. Al-Nimr, Moh'd A. & Tashtoush, Bourhan M. & Jaradat, Ahmad A., 2015. "Modeling and simulation of thermoelectric device working as a heat pump and an electric generator under Mediterranean climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P2), pages 1239-1250.
    3. Zhu, Xiaochen & Fuli, Wang, 2023. "Energy savings bottleneck diagnosis and optimization decision method for industrial auxiliary system based on energy efficiency gap analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PE).
    4. Madruga, Santiago, 2021. "Modeling of enhanced micro-energy harvesting of thermal ambient fluctuations with metallic foams embedded in Phase Change Materials," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 424-437.
    5. Diaz-Londono, Cesar & Enescu, Diana & Ruiz, Fredy & Mazza, Andrea, 2020. "Experimental modeling and aggregation strategy for thermoelectric refrigeration units as flexible loads," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    6. Irshad, Kashif & Habib, Khairul & Thirumalaiswamy, Nagarajan & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2015. "Performance analysis of a thermoelectric air duct system for energy-efficient buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 1009-1017.
    7. Cai, Yang & Hong, Bing-Hua & Wu, Wei-Xiong & Wang, Wei-Wei & Zhao, Fu-Yun, 2022. "Active cooling performance of a PCM-based thermoelectric device: Dynamic characteristics and parametric investigations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PB).
    8. Madruga, Santiago & Mendoza, Carolina, 2022. "Introducing a new concept for enhanced micro-energy harvesting of thermal fluctuations through the Marangoni effect," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 306(PA).
    9. Sadighi Dizaji, Hamed & Jafarmadar, Samad & Khalilarya, Shahram & Moosavi, Amin, 2016. "An exhaustive experimental study of a novel air-water based thermoelectric cooling unit," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 181(C), pages 357-366.
    10. Zhao, Dongliang & Yin, Xiaobo & Xu, Jingtao & Tan, Gang & Yang, Ronggui, 2020. "Radiative sky cooling-assisted thermoelectric cooling system for building applications," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C).
    11. Sun, Hongli & Lin, Borong & Lin, Zhirong & Zhu, Yingxin, 2019. "Experimental study on a novel flat-heat-pipe heating system integrated with phase change material and thermoelectric unit," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    12. Liu, Di & Zhao, Fu-Yun & Yang, Hongxing & Tang, Guang-Fa, 2015. "Theoretical and experimental investigations of thermoelectric heating system with multiple ventilation channels," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 159(C), pages 458-468.
    13. Mosaffa, A.H. & Garousi Farshi, L. & Infante Ferreira, C.A. & Rosen, M.A., 2014. "Advanced exergy analysis of an air conditioning system incorporating thermal energy storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 945-952.
    14. Liu, Di & Zhao, Fu-Yun & Yang, Hong-Xing & Tang, Guang-Fa, 2015. "Thermoelectric mini cooler coupled with micro thermosiphon for CPU cooling system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 29-36.
    15. Nie, Binjian & She, Xiaohui & Du, Zheng & Xie, Chunping & Li, Yongliang & He, Zhubing & Ding, Yulong, 2019. "System performance and economic assessment of a thermal energy storage based air-conditioning unit for transport applications," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    16. Zuazua-Ros, Amaia & Martín-Gómez, César & Ibañez-Puy, Elia & Vidaurre-Arbizu, Marina & Gelbstein, Yaniv, 2019. "Investigation of the thermoelectric potential for heating, cooling and ventilation in buildings: Characterization options and applications," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 229-239.
    17. Maryam Al Owidh & Basma Souayeh & Imran Qasim Memon & Kashif Ali Abro & Huda Alfannakh, 2022. "Heat Transfer and Fluid Circulation of Thermoelectric Fluid through the Fractional Approach Based on Local Kernel," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-12, November.
    18. Meng, Fankai & Chen, Lingen & Feng, Yuanli & Xiong, Bing, 2017. "Thermoelectric generator for industrial gas phase waste heat recovery," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 83-90.
    19. Jiang, Le & Zhang, Hengyun & Li, Junwei & Xia, Peng, 2019. "Thermal performance of a cylindrical battery module impregnated with PCM composite based on thermoelectric cooling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    20. Nie, Binjian & Palacios, Anabel & Zou, Boyang & Liu, Jiaxu & Zhang, Tongtong & Li, Yunren, 2020. "Review on phase change materials for cold thermal energy storage applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    21. Irshad, Kashif & Habib, Khairul & Basrawi, Firdaus & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2017. "Study of a thermoelectric air duct system assisted by photovoltaic wall for space cooling in tropical climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 504-522.
    22. Antonio Real-Fernández & Joaquín Navarro-Esbrí & Adrián Mota-Babiloni & Ángel Barragán-Cervera & Luis Domenech & Fernando Sánchez & Angelo Maiorino & Ciro Aprea, 2019. "Modeling of a PCM TES Tank Used as an Alternative Heat Sink for a Water Chiller. Analysis of Performance and Energy Savings," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-18, September.
    23. Ma, Xiaoli & Zhang, Yufeng & Han, Zhonghe & Zang, Ningbo & Liu, Zhijian, 2023. "Performance modelling on a thermoelectric air conditioning system using high power heat sinks and promoting waste heat utilization," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 268(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wang, Tian-Hu & Wang, Qiu-Hong & Leng, Chuan & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2015. "Parameter analysis and optimal design for two-stage thermoelectric cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 154(C), pages 1-12.
    2. Agnieszka Żelazna & Justyna Gołębiowska, 2020. "A PV-Powered TE Cooling System with Heat Recovery: Energy Balance and Environmental Impact Indicators," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, April.
    3. He, Wei & Zhang, Gan & Zhang, Xingxing & Ji, Jie & Li, Guiqiang & Zhao, Xudong, 2015. "Recent development and application of thermoelectric generator and cooler," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C), pages 1-25.
    4. Twaha, Ssennoga & Zhu, Jie & Yan, Yuying & Li, Bo, 2016. "A comprehensive review of thermoelectric technology: Materials, applications, modelling and performance improvement," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 698-726.
    5. Irshad, Kashif & Habib, Khairul & Basrawi, Firdaus & Saha, Bidyut Baran, 2017. "Study of a thermoelectric air duct system assisted by photovoltaic wall for space cooling in tropical climate," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 504-522.
    6. Pourhedayat, Samira, 2018. "Application of thermoelectric as an instant running-water cooler; experimental study under different operating conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C), pages 364-374.
    7. Enescu, Diana & Virjoghe, Elena Otilia, 2014. "A review on thermoelectric cooling parameters and performance," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 903-916.
    8. Hao, Junhong & Qiu, Huachen & Ren, Jianxun & Ge, Zhihua & Chen, Qun & Du, Xiaoze, 2020. "Multi-parameters analysis and optimization of a typical thermoelectric cooler based on the dimensional analysis and experimental validation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    9. Fitriani, & Ovik, R. & Long, B.D. & Barma, M.C. & Riaz, M. & Sabri, M.F.M. & Said, S.M. & Saidur, R., 2016. "A review on nanostructures of high-temperature thermoelectric materials for waste heat recovery," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 635-659.
    10. Cai, Yang & Wang, Wei-Wei & Liu, Cheng-Wei & Ding, Wen-Tao & Liu, Di & Zhao, Fu-Yun, 2020. "Performance evaluation of a thermoelectric ventilation system driven by the concentrated photovoltaic thermoelectric generators for green building operations," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 147(P1), pages 1565-1583.
    11. Sahin, Ahmet Z. & Yilbas, Bekir S., 2013. "Thermodynamic irreversibility and performance characteristics of thermoelectric power generator," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 899-904.
    12. Chen, Wei-Hsin & Huang, Shih-Rong & Lin, Yu-Li, 2015. "Performance analysis and optimum operation of a thermoelectric generator by Taguchi method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 44-54.
    13. Wang, Xiao-Dong & Wang, Qiu-Hong & Xu, Jin-Liang, 2014. "Performance analysis of two-stage TECs (thermoelectric coolers) using a three-dimensional heat-electricity coupled model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 419-429.
    14. Liu, Zhichun & Zhu, Shiping & Ge, Ya & Shan, Feng & Zeng, Lingping & Liu, Wei, 2017. "Geometry optimization of two-stage thermoelectric generators using simplified conjugate-gradient method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 540-552.
    15. Liu, Di & Zhao, Fu-Yun & Yang, Hong-Xing & Tang, Guang-Fa, 2015. "Thermoelectric mini cooler coupled with micro thermosiphon for CPU cooling system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 29-36.
    16. Huang, Yu-Xian & Wang, Xiao-Dong & Cheng, Chin-Hsiang & Lin, David Ta-Wei, 2013. "Geometry optimization of thermoelectric coolers using simplified conjugate-gradient method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 689-697.
    17. Meng, Jing-Hui & Zhang, Xin-Xin & Wang, Xiao-Dong, 2014. "Multi-objective and multi-parameter optimization of a thermoelectric generator module," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 367-376.
    18. Park, K. & Hwang, H.K. & Seo, J.W. & Seo, W.-S., 2013. "Enhanced high-temperature thermoelectric properties of Ce- and Dy-doped ZnO for power generation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 139-145.
    19. Yin, Tao & He, Zhi-Zhu, 2021. "Analytical model-based optimization of the thermoelectric cooler with temperature-dependent materials under different operating conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    20. Liu, Haowen & Li, Guiqiang & Zhao, Xudong & Ma, Xiaoli & Shen, Chao, 2023. "Investigation of the impact of the thermoelectric geometry on the cooling performance and thermal—mechanic characteristics in a thermoelectric cooler," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 267(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:658-666. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.