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Investigation of photovoltaic thermoelectric air-conditioning system for room application under tropical climate

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Abstract

Photovoltaic thermoelectric air-conditioning system (PT A/C) system could be a greater option compared to conventional A/C system as it is Freon-free and absence of moving parts. This study investigated the cooling and dehumidification performance of a PT A/C that is solely powered by solar energy under tropical climate conditions. The system is built with 9 pieces of thermoelectric to provide cooling for a test chamber of 3.6 m3 volume. The effect of input current on the system’s cooling and moisture removal rate were investigated and results showed that 5 A is the optimum current level, providing an average of 181 W cooling capacity and 0.14 ltr/hour of moisture removal rate at the given ambient conditions. During the operation, indoor temperature of the test chamber was 4 °C lower than the unconditioned chamber and 7.7 °C compared to the ambient temperature. Whereas the indoor relative humidity varies between 58~83 %. Furthermore, for a 12 hours operation, the system consumes 1.45 kWh of energy, and delivered temperature between 23.8 to 27.8 ºC at 5 A.

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Acknowledgments

This work was jointly supported by YUTP grant [015LCO-052-YUTP FRG]. Also, the authors would like to thank Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS for providing the necessary support and assistantship to the first author of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mechanical Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi Petronas, 32610, Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia

    Kar Kin Looi, Aklilu Tesfamichael Baheta & Khairul Habib

Authors
  1. Kar Kin Looi
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  2. Aklilu Tesfamichael Baheta
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  3. Khairul Habib
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aklilu Tesfamichael Baheta.

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Recommended by Editor Yong Tae Kang

Kar Kin Looi is a Postgraduate Student at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia. He received his Bachelor (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia. His research interests include renewable energy system, HVAC system and green building development.

Aklilu Tesfamichael Baheta is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia. His research interests include nanofluids, heat transfer, renewable energies, and HVAC system.

Khairul Habib is a Senior Lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Petronas, Malaysia. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Kyushu University, Japan. His research interests include solar/thermally powered dehumidification and cooling systems, thermally driven sorption system, HVAC system, and zero energy building development.

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Looi, K.K., Baheta, A.T. & Habib, K. Investigation of photovoltaic thermoelectric air-conditioning system for room application under tropical climate. J Mech Sci Technol 34, 2199–2205 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0441-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-020-0441-8

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