Theoretical and experimental analysis on thermoelectric cooling devices

The prediction of the performance of Peltier cells as cooling devices is complex inasmuch as it consists of several quite different processes simultaneously present and deeply interrelated (Seebeck and Joule beating effects and conductive and convective heat transfer). However, there are great expectations for these devices for mass production, mainly as air conditioning units for fixed or vehicles onboard application. The advantages with respect to the conventional solutions appear to be even more important. A model that predicts the performance of a Peltier module for cooling applications is presented. An experimental activity demonstrates the validity of the model and its capability as a design tool.