Performance and life cycle analysis of a novel portable solar thermoelectric refrigerator

Abstract

A novel design of a portable solar thermoelectric refrigerator is proposed in this study. The cooling effect of the thermoelectric module is utilized to provide cooling to the refrigerator space. To use the full potential of the thermoelectric module (TEM), the heat rejected from the hot side of the module is harnessed for a low-temperature heating application. The cooling chamber used is a well-insulated rectangular container made of Aluminum. The system was designed to achieve 10 °C in the cold chamber to act as a refrigerator. Experimental results demonstrated that the system could reach the desired temperature of about 10 °C in the coldchamber, while on the hot side; theobtained temperature was about 40 °C. A higher coefficient of performance (COP) of about 0.61 was obtained for both cooling and heating effects. A computational model was also developed to simulate the electro-thermal dynamic behavior of the thermoelectric refrigerator using TRNSYS software.The simulation results showed a good agreement with experimental results. Life cycle analyses were also carried out using Eco Audit CES Edu pack software to study the viability of the new design. The results showed that the proposed novel system is economically viable and environmentally friendly.