Design and performance analyses of thermoelectric coolers and power generators for automobiles

In this paper, a thermoelectric cooler applicable to automobiles and a thermoelectric generator using exhaust heat were developed and integrated. Typically, car air conditioning systems are driver-oriented due to space limitations. We designed a thermoelectric cooler that delivers cool air from the ceiling of the rear seat. The cooler is simple to install; it is small and does not generate any noise or vibration. The cooler takes less than three minutes to cool a space the size of an average adult's head from 45 to 26 degrees C. The power required for the cooler was produced by a thermoelectric generator that can be attached to an automobile exhaust pipe. Twelve thermoelectric generators generated 90.715 W of power at an average temperature of 90.37 degrees C. A storage device was designed to integrate the thermoelectric cooler and generator, thereby achieving a smooth power supply from the thermoelectric generator to the thermoelectric cooler. This study established a practical thermoelectric system for upgrading automobile systems.