DOI 10.

1007/s10891-021-02278-w
Journal of Engineering Physics and Thermophysics, Vol. 94, No. 1, January, 2021

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS INTO THE SPEED

OF THERMOELECTRIC BEVERAGE COOLERS
WITH WET CONTACT

S. O. Filin and B. Zakrzewski UDC 536.42;663.63;621.573

The structure of a novel table thermoelectric cooler with wet contact, i.e., with a water-filled gap between the
container with a beverage and the cooler chamber, has been presented. The test bed and the procedure of tests
and their results have been described. Technical advantages of the novel cooler have been shown, in particular,
the increase in its speed, which amounted to 15 to 65%. The effect of acceleration of the cooling of the beverage
due to the activation of the second mechanism of heat exchange, i.e., natural convection, has been found and
described.

Keywords: beverage cooler, cooling time, heat-exchange conditions, experimental investigations.

Introduction. Since the mid-80s of the last century, thermoelectric domestic and transport cooling devices have
become a fixture in the market of small-scale cooling equipment. This refers to refrigerators, minibars, air conditioners,
cooler-heaters of beverages, ice generators, and other more specialized products. In terms of the output of manufactured
products, they have surpassed absorption refrigerators and rank second after compressor devices despite the fact that the
energy efficiency of thermoelectric cooling is still significantly inferior to steam-compression thermodynamic cycles. As
shown in the previous works of the authors, the competitiveness of thermoelectric products may considerably be improved
through the minimization of energy loss as far as energy indices are concerned [1]. The primary resources for improving
the technical characteristics of thermoelectric devices are associated with the enhancement of heat transfer, the optimum
selection of a technique to control the temperature, and the organization of the technological process [2, 3].
Household beverage coolers, unlike refrigerators, are classified among devices of irregular action. The speed (of
response) and the cost are decisive characteristics for them. Little emphasis has been imposed in the literature on investigating
the efficiency and speed of thermoelectric coolers. Few works on this subject dealt with devices belonging to the previous
generations [3, 4] or were not concerned with the problems of increasing the speed of the coolers [5, 6].
The earlier detailed analysis [7, 8] of designs of present-day household and transport (mainly automobile)
thermoelectric coolers of beverages has shown that designers of these products neglect the issues of heat exchange between
the beverage and the cooler. As a result, their dynamic characteristics are tens of percent or even many times worse than those
that can be obtained upon the rational organization of heat transfer. The basic structural defects of such coolers include:
(1) the insufficient surface of contact of the container or the cooling surface of the cooler with the beverage;
(2) the high thermal resistance between the beverage and the container;
(3) the absence of heat insulation of the container.
Object and Goal of Investigation. An efficient solution to the problems mentioned above may be the use of the
so-called "wet" contact, i.e., filling the gap between the container of the cooler and the can or the bottle with a beverage with
a nonfreezing heat-conducting liquid, e.g., water or antifreeze. Such a solution has long been used at home, when products
in a glass container (baby food) are warmed up in a "water bath" in heated or boiling water [8]. However, in the practice of
thermoelectric cooling of beverages, this method has not found use because of the unsolved problem of pouring of the liquid
and sealing of the container and of the negative influence of an additional liquid mass on the speed of the cooler. Therefore, a
novel design of a cooler with several variants of filling the gap was proposed [9]. One variant was taken as a basis in designing
a prototype of a novel TSSN-0.5 household thermoelectric cooler (Fig. 1).

West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin (Zachodniopomorski Universytet Technologiczny w

Szczecinie), 41 Piastow' al., Szczecin, 71–065, Poland; email: filin@zut.edu.pl. Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii
Zhurnal, Vol. 94, No. 1, pp. 127–135, January–February, 2021. Original article submitted June 18, 2019.

118 0062-0125/20/9401-0118 ©2021 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

 Fig. 1. Household thermoelectric beverage cooler TSSN-0.5: a) structural diagram [9]:
1) cylindrical container; 2) heat insulation; 3) thermoelectric module; 4) radiator; 5) ven-
tilator; 6) ventilator mounting screws; 7) assembly tightening screws; 8) outer casing;
9) ventilation grill; 10) feet; 11) bottle with a beverage; 12) water in the gap; 13) elastic
sealing collar; 14) shield; 15) shield mounting screws; 16) prototype during the tests.

The cooler incorporates one thermoelectric module of the MT-1.6-127 type contacting by its cold side with the
bottom of a heat-insulated cylindrical container manufactured from aluminum. The hot side of the module is connected to
a radiator which is blown by a ventilator. In the prototype, self-contained power supply of the module and the ventilator is
provided. The inside diameter of the container is 68 mm, which makes it possible to place metal cans and plastic bottles
of volume of 0.25 to 0.5 L in it. When a standard can is placed, the gap between it and the container wall does not exceed
1 mm. In the gap, there is distilled water, which is poured into the container from a batcher in advance and, after the beverage
is put in, fills the gap throughout the height of the cylindrical portion of the exterior surface of the can or the bottle as shown
in Fig. 1a.
A distinctive feature of the structure is the elastic seal in the container's top part, which is manufactured in the form
of a rubber collar fixed between the end of the container and the shield. The role of the collar is to keep the liquid from
evaporating from the container and flowing out as the container tilts. Optimum dimensions of the collar (thickness and the
inside diameter) have been determined experimentally.
In addition to testing the novel design, the goal of the work was to:
(1) obtain higher speed indices of the cooler compared to the existing production-line items, owing also to the use
of wet contact;
(2) quantitatively assess the influence of wet contact and of a number of other factors on the cooler speed.
Investigation Method, Brief Description of the Test Bed and the Testing Procedure. To implement the set goals,
we selected an experimental path of investigations, including those with comparative tests of various coolers and various
objects. The tests were carried out at the Laboratory of Thermoelectric Cooling of the Department of Air Conditioning and
Refrigeration Transport of the West Pomeranian University of Technology in Szczecin in the period 2018–2019.
A simplified diagram of the test bed and a diagram of installation of temperature sensors are shown in Fig. 2. To
measure temperatures, use was made of J-type thermocouples connected to an AR206 eight-channel recorder and of TSM-

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 Fig. 2. Block diagram of the test bed with the demonstration of sites of installation of
thermocouples.

TABLE 1. Experimental Conditions

Object Aluminum 0.33-L can filled with settled Plastic 0.5-L bottle filled with settled
Parameter water water
Type of contact dry wet dry wet
Water mass in the gap, g 0 36.00 0 39.45
Water mass in the bottle (can), g 330.01 330.00 500.40 500.40
Container mass, g 12.58 12.58 24.32 24.32
Height of installation of h1 = 15 h1 = 15 h1 = 20 h1 = 20
thermocouples (Fig. 2), h, mm h2 = h3 = 40 h2 = h3 = 40 h2 = h3 = 50 h2 = h3 = 50
Average indoor temperature, оС 22.0 22.0 22.0 22.0
Average relative air humidity, % 40 40 39 41/38
Supply voltage, V:
Um (module) 7.7 7.7 9.0 9.0/7.7
Uv (ventilator) 12.0 12.0 12.0 12.0/12.0
Current strength*, А:
module 3.53 3.52 4.13 4.09/3.51**
ventilator 0.14 0.14 0.14 0.14/0.14
*In the steady-state regime;
**Parameters measured at two supply voltages, 9.0 and 7.7 V, are given after the slash.

100 thermometer resistors forming part of an IT-10 measuring complex. Measurement results were recorded with a frequency
of 10 s with the aid of Channel 2.0 software. The temperature measurement error did not exceed 0.5–0.7%. The prototype was
powered by an M10-DP-305E type two-channel power supply. The masses of beverages, bottles, and water were measured

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on a Radwag WPS 510/C/1 laboratory balance with a scale value of 1 mg. The indoor temperature of the laboratory was
stabilized at the level of 22 ± 0.3oC with the aid of a split-type domestic air conditioner. All the initial temperatures were equal
to each other and to the indoor temperature.
We used distilled water as a beverage to be cooled. Such a choice was dictated by the desire to eliminate the influence
of impurities and dissolved gases on heat-exchange conditions and by the fact that among all the beverages, water has the
highest value of specific heat. An aluminum can of volume 0.33 liter and a plastic bottle of volume 0.5 L were selected as
containers. The results of their weighings are presented in Table 1. It can be seen that in the variant with wet contact, the water
mass in the gap is comparatively small and amounts to about 10% of the beverage mass.
At the stage of preliminary tests, we investigated the influence of the supply voltage of the module and hence of
its refrigerating capacity on the rate of cooling of a beverage. With variation in the supply voltage of the assembly (module
plus a ventilator) Ua in the limits from 7.5 to 13.8 V, the change in the cooling rate did not exceed 15% of the value of this
index at an operating supply voltage of 12 V. With analogous variation in the supply voltage of the module itself Um and at a
constant supply voltage of the ventilator Uv = 13 V, differences in cooling rates decreased to 3–5%. This enabled us to adopt
the quantity Um = 7.7 V as the operating supply mode in subsequent comparative tests. At such voltage, the electric power
consumptions of the assemblies of the coolers TSSN-0.5 and Car-mini-cooler are equal and are 29.0 W.
Testing Results and Discussion. Testing results in the form of plots of the time dependence of temperature at
reference points are presented in Figs. 3–8. Comparing these dependences for one and the same type of contact for different
objects, we can draw a number of qualitative and quantitative conclusions. Let us begin with the qualitative ones:
1. The presence of water in the gap, i.e., the use of wet contact, leads to acceleration of the cooling of the beverage.
2. The mentioned acceleration is not manifested immediately after the cooler is switched on, but 5 to 6 minutes later,
since the water in the gap increases the total mass to be cooled, although only slightly.
3. In the case of cooling of the can, there is a substantial decrease in the difference between the temperature of the
medium in the gap and the temperature of the beverage in the can's bottom part. For the plastic bottle, this effect
is not observed, suggesting the influence of the material of the container with the beverage on the dynamics of
cooling.
4. With wet contact, the maximum depth of cooling of the beverage increases (Table 2).
5. The character of the dependence T (τ) in the top part of the container with a beverage is significantly different
from the exponential one and is nearly linear. This is pronounced in the bottle having the larger height and,
accordingly, the larger water mass. In the absence of convection in the bottle's bottom part, the removal of heat
from the beverage is through the bottom and the lateral cylindrical wall. With decrease in the distance from the
bottom, its influence on heat exchange drops nearly to zero, which explains the slower rate of cooling of the top
part.
A comparison of quantitative indices of all the tested objects is presented in Table 2. The fact that the maximum
acceleration of cooling in the novel cooler is observed in the first 30 min of cooling of the beverage should be recognized as
substantial for the consumer.
When the beverage is cooled to a temperature of about 4oC, the abnormal behavior of temperature is observed at
reference points. A maximum water density of 999.972 kg/m3 at atmospheric pressure is obtained at a temperature of 3.98oC
[10, 11]. In engineering calculations, this value of density is taken constant in the range of temperatures 3.6–4.2oC. The
existing thermoelastic coolers designed earlier possessed no refrigerating-capacity reserve sufficient to cool a beverage to a
temperature of 4oC. Accordingly, in testing them, this phenomenon was not recorded. In the containers of compressor coolers,
use is usually made of the mixing of water. Therefore, it is not observed there either. Such behavior of the water temperature
can be found in the plots in [12], but without any comments.
As can be seen from the plots in Figs. 5 and 8, when the temperature at the reference point (in our example, this is
the geometrical center of the container with the beverage) reaches 4oC, sharp acceleration of the reduction in the temperature
followed by its stabilization 6 to 8 min later at the level of about 3oC occurs. An analogous phenomenon is also observed at
other reference points, when the temperature at them decreases to this level. This phenomenon is explained and illustrated in
Figs. 9 and 10. In the process of cooling at temperatures above 4oC, the heat conduction of the beverage is the only mechanism
of removal of heat from the upper layers of the beverage. The flow is directed from the center toward the bottom and lateral
walls. At a temperature of approximately 3.6–3.8oC, the mechanism of convection is additionally activated, since the density
of water in the bottle's bottom part becomes lower than the density of water in the upper layers. Circulation loops develop as
shown in Fig. 9a. The colder water entering from the bottle's bottom part leads to a sharp acceleration of cooling at the point

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 Fig. 3. Temperature dynamics at reference points (Fig. 2) for a 0.33-L can with dry contact: T5, T6,
T7, and T01, water temperature in the can; T8, air temperature in the gap; T02, indoor temperature.

Fig. 4. Temperature dynamics at reference points for a 0.33-L can with wet contact: T5, T6, T7, and
T01, water temperature in the can; T8, water temperature in the gap; T02, indoor temperature.

Fig. 5. Fragment of the temperature dynamics of cooling of the water in a 0.33-L can with wet con-
tact; the symbols for the temperature sensors are the same as in Figs. 2 and 4.

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Fig. 6. Temperature dynamics at reference points for a 0.5-L bottle with dry contact: T5, T6, T7, and
T01, water temperature in the can; T8, air temperature in the gap; T02, indoor temperature.

Fig. 7. Temperature dynamics at reference points for a 0.5-L bottle with wet contact: T5, T6, T7,
and T01, water temperature in the bottle; T8, water temperature in the gap; T02, indoor temperature.

Fig. 8. Fragment of the temperature dynamics of cooling of the water in a 0.5-L bottle
with wet contact; the symbols for the temperature sensors are the same as in Figs. 2 and 4.

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 Fig. 9. Diagram of development of natural convection in the bottle with a beverage
cooled down to a temperature below 4oC; the darker shade corresponds to the lower
temperature. Variant with the bottom removal of heat. The explanations are given in the
text of the article.

Fig. 10. Simplified diagram of the temperature field in the beverage with bottom and
lateral removals of heat; the darker layers correspond to the lower temperature.

of temperature measurement T5. With further cooling, convection reaches the upper layers, first in the region of temperature
sensor T6 (Fig. 9b) and a bit later, in the region of temperature sensor T7 (Fig. 9c). The reaction of the temperature sensors to
these processes is shown well in Figs. 5 and 8. The rather lengthy temperature stabilization following the accelerated drop is
most likely due to the fact that at the reference point, thermal equilibrium is established between the flows from the warmer
upper zone of the bottle and from the colder lower zone.
Clearly, measuring the temperature of a beverage at one reference point or even at three points at different heights,
as provided for by the standards for household cooling devices [13], in the absence of water mixing gives no correct idea of
the average temperature of the beverage. During the operation of transport coolers, when shaking and accelerations occur
that cause the layers to mix, measuring the average beverage temperature correctly is not an issue. A different situation arises
with household stationary devices.

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TABLE 2. Comparison of the Selected Indices of Different Beverage Coolers with Wet and Dry Contact

Cooler model Container of the TSSN-0.5 Car mini-cooler

Parameter beverage
dry contact wet contact dry contact wet contact
Maximum cooling of the beverage 0.33-L can 17.8 19.7 19.0 19.2
from the ambient temperature, K 0.5-L bottle 17.3 19.0
0.3-L bottle 9.0 12.5
Relative increase in the index of 0.33-L can – 41.0 – 8.3
average specific speed, (%) 0.5-L bottle – 65.4
for 30 min 0.3-L bottle – 25.0
60 min 0.33-L can – 21.2 – 12.0
0.5-L bottle – 47.9
0.3-L bottle - 52.6
90 min 0.33-L can – 14.2 – 0.5
0.5-L bottle – 33.6
0.3-L bottle – 69.6

An alternative hypothesis explaining the phenomenon of sudden acceleration of the cooling of water would have
been its structural change. Publications concerning the multiplicity of structural types of water and hence its thermophysical
properties appear in increasing frequency in both popular science literature and scientific and technical literature [11, 14–17].
However, in these publications, higher temperatures are cited: ranging from 37 to 50oC or higher.
The designers of liquid coolers and cube-ice-making machines and their researchers have yet to thoroughly analyze
the described effect of "activation" of convection from the viewpoint of a possibility to use it in practice. The analysis may
follow two directions: the acceleration of cooling and the correction of regulatory documents determining test conditions and
technical parameters of devices in which water is cooled down to a temperature below 4oC without its forced mixing in the
container.

CONCLUSIONS
1. The authors have proposed a simple and efficient method to increase the rate of cooling of beverages in household
and transport thermoelectric coolers, namely, the use of the so-called "wet" contact of a can or a bottle with the
cooler chamber.
2. The conducted experimental investigations of a mass-produced "Car mini-cooler" automobile cooler have
demonstrated the positive effect from the use of the above-mentioned solution. The rate of cooling of the beverage
in the gap increased by 16–26%.
3. With account taken of the results of preliminary tests, the authors have developed, manufactured, and tested
the prototype of a table beverage cooler with wet contact. Its distinctive feature is sealing the water-filled gap
hermetically.
4. Testing the novel cooler has shown that owing to wet contact, the rate of cooling increases in the range of 14 to
40% for an aluminum can and of 34 to 65% for a plastic bottle. Unlike the "Car Mini-Cooler," the greatest effect
is observed in the first 30 min of cooling, which is an additional advantage of the novel cooler.
5. The authors have found and described the effect of acceleration of the cooling of a beverage on reaching
a temperature of 4oC, which is due to the activation of the second mechanism of heat exchange, i.e., natural
convection.
6. The obtained results make it possible to recommend this novel solution in the mass production of automobile and
household thermoelectric coolers.

NOTATION
h, geometric dimension (height), mm; T, temperature, oC; Ua, supply voltage of the refrigerating assembly, V;
Um, supply voltage of the thermoelectric module, V; Uv, supply voltage of the ventilator, V; τ, time, min.

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