Study on the physical properties and performance of thermoelectric module

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the physical properties of the thermoelectric module. In order to do that a test rig has been fabricated and thermoelectric module model CP1.4-127-045L is tested. The voltage generated by the thermoelectric module and the temperature differences are measured and then by using some equations, physical properties such as Seebeck coefficient a, Electrical resistance R and Thermal conductivity Kt are obtained. These experiments data are then compared with the manufacturer data. From the experiment that has been done, the Seebeck coefficient for thermoelectric module model CP1.4-127-045L is 0.056 V/oC, thermal conductivity is 0.45 W°C-1 and electrical resistance is 1.67 W. Besides that the performance of thermoelectric module is also tested by using water cooling jacket and fin as a heat sink. For water cooling jacket, thermoelectric module that using flow rate at 6.62 cm3/s has the higher COP compared to flow rate at 2.32 cm3/s. While for TE module that contact with fin which contact ratio is 8.94 has a better COP compared to contact ratio of 6.88.