Performance study of a cooling system with a series connection of thermoelectric modules

Single or combined Peltier modules are used for cooling, heating or to generate electricity. These devices, due to their small dimensions, have a number of different applications, ranging from mechanics, industry, to medicine. The main advantages of thermoelectric modules are, among others, compact size, low noise level, low failure rate, simple use, and possibility to power by electricity, including renewable energy from PV cells. However, low cooling capacities and necessity of effective heat removal are the main obstacles to the widespread use. In the presented article, the study of the influence of electric current on the cooling capacity of single and double Peltier cells is performed. A cubic cooling chamber made of polystyrene with external dimensions of 60 cm x 60 cm x 60 cm (5 cm thick) was used as a cooling object. Several measurement series were conducted in order to analyze the supply parameters used for single and double Peltier modules for cooling purposes. After analyzing the results, it was concluded that the best coefficient of performance was obtained for a double cell connected in series at the current of 3.5 A and 4 A.