Evaluation of Performance and Power Consumption of a Thermoelectric Module-Based Personal Cooling System—A Case Study

Anna Dąbrowska (), Monika Kobus, Łukasz Starzak and Bartosz Pękosławski
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Anna Dąbrowska: Department of Personal Protective Equipment, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, Wierzbowa 48, 90-133 Lodz, Poland
Monika Kobus: Department of Personal Protective Equipment, Central Institute for Labour Protection—National Research Institute, Wierzbowa 48, 90-133 Lodz, Poland
Łukasz Starzak: Department of Microelectronics and Computer Science, Lodz University of Technology, Wólczańska 221/223 B18, 90-924 Lodz, Poland
Bartosz Pękosławski: Department of Microelectronics and Computer Science, Lodz University of Technology, Wólczańska 221/223 B18, 90-924 Lodz, Poland

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: Thermoelectric (TE) technology is promising for reducing thermal discomfort of workers during their routine professional activities. In this manuscript, a preliminary evaluation of a newly developed personal cooling system (PCS) with flexible TE modules is presented based on an analysis of cooling efficiency and power consumption. For this purpose, tests with human participation were performed involving the monitoring of local skin temperature changes and electrical parameters of the controller. Thanks to TE cooling, a significant reduction of local skin temperature was observed at the beginning of the experiment, reaching as much as 6 °C. However, the observed effect systematically became weaker with time, with the temperature difference decreasing to about 3 °C. Cooling efficiency stayed at the same level over the ambient temperature range from 25 °C to 35 °C. The obtained results showed that a proper fitting of the PCS to the human body is a crucial factor influencing the PCS cooling efficiency.

Keywords: Peltier effect; thermoelectric module; thermoelectric cooler; personal cooling; smart clothing (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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