Study of solar-assisted thermoelectric technology for automobile air conditioning

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · Journal of Solar Energy Engineering

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2930050· OSTI ID:143933

Mei, V C; Chen, F C ^[1]; Mathiprakasam, B; Heenan, P ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Lab., Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. Midwest Research Inst., Kansas City, MO (United States)

An analytical study was conducted to determine the feasibility of employing solar energy assisted thermoelectric (TE) cooling technology in automobile air conditioners. The study addressed two key issues -- power requirements and availability of thermoelectric materials. In this paper a mathematical model was developed to predict the performance of TE air conditioners and to analyze power consumption. Results show that the power required to deliver a cooling capacity of 4 kW (13,680 Btu/h) in a 38 C (100 F) environment will be 9.5 kW electric. Current TE modules suitable for air conditioning are made of bismuth telluride. The element tellurium is expected to be in short supply if TE cooling is widely implemented for auto air conditioning; some options available in this regard were studied and presented in this paper. The photovoltaic (PV) cells, assumed to cover the roof area of a compact car can only generate about 225 W. However, this is more than enough to power a fan to provide air ventilation to the car interior which significantly reduces the peak cooling load when the car is parked in bright sunlight.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• OSTI ID: 143933
• Journal Information: Journal of Solar Energy Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Solar Energy Engineering Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 115; ISSN JSEEDO; ISSN 0199-6231
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

14 SOLAR ENERGY
AUTOMOBILES
BLOWERS
PHOTOVOLTAIC POWER SUPPLIES
THERMOELECTRIC REFRIGERATORS
VENTILATION