International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299

Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

ECOFRIENDLY REFRIGERATOR USING PELTIER DEVICE

Palash Nakhate1, Niraj Pawaskar2, Purva Vatamwar3, Saurabh Kalambe4
B.E., Department of Electronics Engineering, K.C. College Of Engg. & Mgmt. Studies &
Research, Kopri, Thane(E.) - 400 063, India, palashnakhate121212@gmail.com
B.E., Department of Electronics Engineering, K.C. College Of Engg. & Mgmt. Studies &
Research, Kopri, Thane(E.) - 400 063, India, nirajpawaskar@gmail.com
B.E., Department of Electronics Engineering, K.C. College Of Engg. & Mgmt. Studies &
Research, Kopri, Thane(E.) - 400 063, India. purva.vatamwar@gmail.com
B.E., Department of Electronics Engineering, K.C. College Of Engg. & Mgmt. Studies &
Research, Kopri, Thane(E.) - 400 063, India. saurabh.kalambe@yahoo.com

Abstract- A refrigerator is a common household appliances that consists of a thermally

insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that
transfers heat from the inside of the fridge to its external environment so that the inside of
the fridge is cooled to a temperature below the ambient temperature of the room. This
lower temperature prevents the reproduction of bacteria so the refrigerator keeps the food
& other items fresh for a long time stored inside fridge. A refrigerator maintains a
temperature a few degrees above the freezing point of water. A suitable temperature range
for perishable food storage is 3 to 5 °C (37 to 41 °F). Today, electricity is used to power
refrigerators as a constant source of energy. Freezer maintains a temperature below the
freezing point of water. The gases like ammonia(R-717) or sulfur dioxide (R-764) used in
refrigerators damages ozone layer and is harmful in domestic places, causing governments
to issue a ban on its use in 1994 for freezing purpose. The less harmful replacement for R-
12, R-134a (tetra-fluoroethane), has been in common use since 1990, but R-12 is still
found in many old systems today. So to avoid use of harmful gasses the ecofriendly
refrigerator is essential.
Keywords- Thermoelectric devices, cooling, Peltier effect, Seebeck effect.

I. INTRODUCTION

Refrigerators are the enclosed devices inside which temperature is maintained at very low
levels (within 5-7°C) & also provide freezing options. But normally refrigerators available in
market uses compressors and harmful cooling gases for cooling purpose. This gases are
harmful for environment and due to use of compressor it requires more electricity so an eco-
friendly refrigerator is required. So a concept of making eco-friendly refrigerator using
Peltier module. Peltier is basically transducer or thermoelectric device. When a 12V supply
is given to this device, one side of this device dissipates heat and other side becomes cool
(temperature depends upon the specifications of Peltier). Using a heat sink with a fan heat
dissipated by Peltier is thrown out in order to protect the device from any kind of damage. In
this way, Peltier is used for refrigeration or cooling purpose. The Objective of this project is
to make cooling devices eco-friendly avoiding harmful gases and as consumption of
electricity is reduced making device economical. A device called Peltier is a key device of
this project, this is used as a cooler in this, due to this we don’t require compressor or CFC
gases, and this device can practically cool up to 8°C as per the requirement and device
specifications. Peltier module produces Peltier effect & it’s used for both heating as well as

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 International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299
Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

cooling purpose. So, we can use peltier module in existing system to increase the
performance or COP (Coefficient of Performance) of the system. In a traditional vapor
compression system, sub-cooling of the liquid refrigerant takes place only upto to the
temperature level of the heat sink. Using a thermoelectric module, sub-cooling of the liquid
refrigerant occurs significantly at a COP that exceeds that of the original vapor compression
system. Also, no use of gases are required in proposed topic making it environment friendly.

II. LITERATURE SURVEY

As our Project is mainly based on Peltier effect in Thermoelectric Devices, we researched on

the same.Thermoelectric are based on the Peltier Effect, The Peltier Effect is one of the three
thermoelectric effects; the other two are known as the Seebeck Effect and Thomson Effect.
Whereas the last two effects act on a single conductor, the Peltier Effect is a typical junction
phenomenon. Thermoelectric coolers are solid state heat pumps used in applications where
temperature stabilization, temperature cycling, or cooling below ambient are required. There
are many products using thermoelectric coolers, including CCD cameras (charge coupled
device), laser diodes, microprocessors, blood analyzers and portable picnic coolers.Peltier
found there was an opposite phenomenon to the Seebeck Effect, whereby thermal energy
could be absorbed at one dissimilar metal junction and discharged at the other junction when
an electric current flowed within the closed circuit. In Figure (1), the thermocouple circuit is
modified to obtain a different configuration that illustrates the Peltier Effect, a phenomenon
opposite that of the Seebeck Effect. If a voltage (Ein) is applied to terminals T1 and T2, an
electrical current (I) will flow in the circuit. As a result of the current flow, a slight cooling
effect (QC) will occur at thermocouple junction A (where heat is absorbed), and a heating
effect (QH) will occur at junction B (where heat is expelled). Note that this effect may be
reversed whereby a change in the direction of electric current flow will reverse the direction
of heat flow. Joule heating, having a magnitude of I2 x R (where R is the electrical
resistance), also occurs in the conductors as a result of current flow. This Joule heating effect
acts in opposition to the Peltier Effect and causes a net reduction of the available cooling. The
Peltier effect can be expressed mathematically as

QC or QH = β x I (17.2)

= (α T) x I

Where: β is the differential Peltier coefficient between the two materials A and B in volts. I
is the electric current flow in amperes. QC and QH are the rates of cooling and heating,
respectively, in watts.

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 International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299
Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

Fig.1

III. EXISTING SYSTEM

Since, thermoelectric cooling is a form of solid-state refrigeration, it has the advantage of
being compact and durable. A thermoelectric cooler uses no moving parts (except for some
fans) and needs no fluids, eliminating the need for bulky piping and mechanical compressors
used in vapor-cycle cooling systems. So, the thermoelectric cooling by means of peltier effect
excels in field of mobility & robustness when compared to conventional refrigeration. In a
current application, a thermoelectric cold plate cools radio equipment mounted in a fighter jet
wingtip. Taking into account, the exact size and weight requirements, as well as the extreme
g forces in this unusual environment, rule out the use of conventional refrigeration.
Thermoelectric devices also have the advantage of being able to maintain a much narrower
temperature range than conventional refrigeration. So, it provides a more precise way of
temperature control since they can maintain a target temperature to within ±1° or better,
while conventional refrigeration varies over several degrees. Unfortunately, modules tend to
be expensive, limiting their use in applications that call for more than 1 kW/h of cooling
power. Owing to their small size, if nothing else, there are also limits to the maximum
temperature differential that can be achieved between one side of a thermoelectric module
and the other. However, in applications requiring control of higher temperature difference,
modules can be cascaded by stacking one module on top of another by means of smart
product design using basics of thermal engineering.

IV. PROPOSED SYSTEM

A. Basic operation-
When a 12V supply is applied across Peltier one side of Peltier cools using Peltier effect
where as other side heats up. This cool side is insulated in a container using a container. The
heated up side must be kept to normal temperature in order to avoid damage to device. In
order to do so a heat sink with exhaust fan is used. The heat sink and fan throws out the heat
from Peltier and keeps it at room temperature. A microcontroller or sensor can be used to
switch off the supply when the container is cooled to required temperature. In this way, we
get the refrigeration or cooling of container at required temperature.

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 International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299
Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

B. Main Resources in project-

1. Peltier Thermoelectric cooling module-

Peltier cooler is also known as a thermoelectric (TE) modules, which are small solid-state
devices that function as heat pumps. Which means it will pump the heat from one side the
other. This means that a Peltier element has a hot side and a cool side. To do this, the Peltier
element uses electricity and quite a lot. This also means that in addition to pumping heat, the
Peltier element will actually produce heat, the system will run hotter, but the Peltier element
will cool were it is needed.

Fig.2 Backside of Peltier refrigerator (prototype)

Fig.3 Construction of Peltier cooling module

2. Heat sink with fan-

A heat sink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic
or a mechanical device into a coolant fluid in motion. Then-transferred heat leaves the
device with the fluid in motion, therefore allowing the regulation of the device
temperature at physically feasible levels... A fan is use with heat sink in order to throw out
the hot air generated by Peltier so that the Peltier should not get over heated, if it gets
over heated it can get damaged, it basically works as exhaust fan

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 International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299
Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

3. Microcontroller & DS18B20 Waterproof Digital Thermal Probe Sensor-

Sensor measures peltier’s cooling side temperature. Once temperature falls below the
defined low temperature, it turns off peltier through relay board. The Atmel 8-bit AVR
RISC-based microcontroller with 32 KB ISP flash memory , 1 KB EEPROM, 2 KB
SRAM, 23 general purpose I/O lines, 32 GPR’s can be used.
4. Insulation & casing-
2mm thick Aluminium sheets acts as heat sink for cold side & Styrofoam for insulation of
the whole case.

C. Advantages of the proposed system-

 No moving parts. So, maintenance is required less frequently

 No chlorofluorocarbons (CFC)
 Provides cooling temperatures around 6-8 ℃
 Consumes less power. So, economical to use
 Can be used in environments that are smaller or more severe than conventional
refrigeration
 Long life, with mean time between failures (MTBF) exceeding 100,000 hours
 Controllable via changing the input voltage/current

D. Limitations of the proposed system-

 Only a limited amount of heat flux is able to be dissipated

 Cannot be used for freezing purposes.
 Relegated to applications with low heat flux
 Not as efficient, in terms of coefficient of performance, as vapor-compression systems

CONCLUSION
This paper proposes a Refrigeration system which is environment-friendly, portable,
economical when compared to conventional refrigerator as it employs peltier thermoelectric
module. The described system overcomes all flaws of existing conventional refrigeration
systems. Hence, the proposed project will definitely have a greater impact on power &
pollution concerns of conventional cooling systems. So, we would suggest hardware
manufacturers to use thermoelectric devices & design innovative devices for cooling
applications in industry as well as domestic sector.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This work is a part of graduation project done by students of Electronics engineering. We
thank everyone who supported and motivated us. And special thanks to our HOD Poornima
Mahesh & Guide Prof. Aditi Kamble.
REFERENCES

1) Reinhard Radermacher & Bao Yang, Integrating Alternative and Conventional

Cooling Technologies, ASHRAE Journal, October 2007.

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 International Journal of Research In Science & Engineering e-ISSN: 2394-8299
Special Issue 7-ICEMTE March 2017 p-ISSN: 2394-8280

2) Jonathan Winkler, Potential Benefits of Thermoelectric Element Used With Air-

Cooled Heat Exchangers, International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
Conference, 2006.
3) Jonathan Schoenfeld, Integration of a Thermoelectric Subcooler Into a Carbon
Dioxide Transcritical Vapor Compression Cycle Refrigeration System, International
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference,2008.
4) Michael Ralf Starke, Thermoelectrics for Cooling Power Electronics, The University
of Tennessee, Knoxville,2006.
5) D. Astrain, J.G. Via´n & J. Albizua, Computational model for refrigerators based on
Peltier effect application, Applied Thermal Engineering 25 (2005) 3149–3162.
6) Chakib Alaoui, Peltier Thermoelectric Modules Modeling and Evaluation,
International Journal of Engineering (IJE), Volume (5) : Issue (1) : 2011
7) DIY cooler by GreatScottLab. http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-Cooler/

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