Simulation of Thermoelectric Coolers for Automotive Temperature Stabilization Systems

Abstract

The analysis of literary sources showed that thermoelectric devices are increasingly used in road transport as generators of electrical energy and as a part of temperature stabilization systems. Both directions provide for the control of thermoelement parameters, which requires the determination of their dynamic properties.

This paper considers the method of creating a simple dynamic model of the Peltier element, which describes the main electrothermal processes occurring in it. The synthesis of the model was carried out by solving the one-dimensional thermoelement thermal conductivity equation with given initial and boundary conditions using the integral Laplace transform. On the basis of the obtained operator equation, transfer functions were synthesized and a simulation model was built.

Verification of the obtained model was carried out in the Matlab/Simulink software environment by comparing the time dependences of the cold junction temperature at different values of direct current with the results of numerical simulation of Peltier elements obtained by other researchers. The verification showed that the discrepancy between the simulation results obtained in this paper and the known ones does not exceed 5%, which indicates the efficiency of the considered method. At the same time, the proposed model is much simpler and clearer.

The indicated advantages of the developed model make it possible to easily calculate setting parameters and build automotive temperature stabilization systems using thermoelectric coolers. Further improvement of the model is possible by taking into account the temperature dependence of thermoelectric parameters and the heat exchange of the thermoelement hot surface with the environment.