Thermoelectric coolers use the Peltier effect to provide precise temperature control without moving parts. They are commonly used for electronics cooling, though their efficiency is lower than vapor compression systems. Design considerations include semiconductor type and materials, thermal insulation, heat sinks, and multistage configurations to improve performance. Optimization aims to maximize heat pumping capacity within voltage and temperature constraints.

1. Essentials of Thermoelectric (TE) Cooling With an Emphasis in Thermal Control of Electronics -- Widah Saied http://www.tetech.com/modules/

10. Basic Principles (Tellurex, www.tellurex.com)

38. Thermoelectric Performance (Nolas et al.,2001)

42. Mollar Design Method http://www.marlow.com/TechnicalInfo/themoelectric_cooler_selection_p.htm

43. Mollar Design Method

44. Mollar Design Method Note: maximum Q refers to the maximum heat the thermoelectric device can pump which will occur when DT=0.

45. Mollar Design Method For this example, let us assume maximum efficiency is desired. Thus, the 5.6 amp, 8.2 volt cooler is selected, because between these two potential TECs, its Qmax (30 watts) is closest to the optimum Qmax (36 watts).

47. TE Technology, Inc. Inputs TE Technology Inc’s. program can be reached at http://www.tetech.com/design/3081.shtml The figure on the left explains the numbers referred to in the figure on the right.