J. Liang, Y. Kin, R.-X. Du, Y.-L. Chan, and T. Jin-Yeu
Thermoelectric cooling and heating, symbiotic generation, coefficient of performance (COP)
This paper presents a study on the use of thermoelectric heating and cooling in buildings. The system, called Smart Wall, consists of thermoelectric (TE) modules, a power supply (including a rechargeable battery and an AC power rectifier), a water circulation system, and a computer control system. Smart Wall has three functions: heating, cooling, and power generation. To improve its coefficient of performance (COP), it uses the so-called symbiotic generation to maximize the energy usage. In order to investigate the performance of Smart Wall, a theoretical model is first developed. Based on computer simulation, it is found that under a typical condition, Smart Wall can achieve a COP of 0.605 for cooling and 0.875 for heating. A small experiment model of 1.8 m × 1.2 m × 0.4 m is also built. The experiment result confirms the simulation results. Because Smart Wall is clean, quiet, and safe, if the COP can be further improved the system would have great potential in the future.
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