The effect of the use of nanofluid in thermoelectric coolers on cooling power and main performance parameters

Thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are of interest to researchers because of their advantages such as providing sustainable energy conversion, vibration-free and noise-free operation, and no moving parts. TECs consist of P-type and N-type semiconductor materials that are electrically connected in series and thermally parallel between two ceramic plates. TECs have a wide range of applications from electronic cooling to space research, such as mini-refrigerators, in-car coolers, medicine cabinets, wearable technologies. In this study, impact of the use of nanofluids in thermoelectric coolers on cooling power and main performance parameters are investigated. For this purpose, a water cooled block is placed on the hot side of the TEC and a heat exchanger from water to air is added to the system in order to cool the heated water. Three different nanoparticles (Al2O3, TiO2 ve SiO2) in 0.1, 0.5 and 1% by mass are added to the water running in the system and the temperature differences in the interior of the refrigerating cabinet are tested. In addition, in order to measure the performance of the cabinet in loaded condition, tests were repeated by placing a litre of water in the cabinet. Compared to cooling with pure water, the best improvement in indoor temperature difference was obtained with Al2O3-Water nanofluid prepared at a mixture ratio of 1% by mass at 30 °C outdoor conditions as 26% for unload condition. In the loaded condition, compared to cooling with pure water, the highest temperature difference in the cooled product temperature was observed as 55.1% with Al2O3-Water nanofluid prepared at a mixture rate of 1% at 18 °C outdoor conditions.