A Novel Design of A Dual-Powered Automatic Peltier Effect Cooler

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a dual powered automatic Peltier Effect cooler that uses the thermoelectric effect for heat transfer. This device minimizes energy consumption by automatically switching between two available sources, namely the solar source and grid power, based on the availability of the sources. As a result, this device can be used both in remote places where grid power is not available and in places where grid power is available. The switching between the sources is automatic without the need for any human intervention. An MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) charge controller is used to protect the battery from overdrive and to ensure efficient usage of solar power. Two Peltier elements are tactfully mounted in a heat-conductive copper chamber, so the minimum temperature is reached in the quickest possible time during start-up, but during normal operations usually one Peltier is used to maintain the low temperature. To avoid crossing the freezing point, a temperature threshold range has been implemented, below which all the power sources are automatically disconnected and reconnected again when necessary. The effective but simplistic design of this device makes it a good candidate for general usage and mass production.