[en] This paper presents the development of a one-man thermoelectric (TE) cooling unit designed for use by NASA astronauts while they are wearing a protective suit during the launch and reentry phases of space shuttle missions. The unit was designed to provide a low-cooling level of 340 Btu/hour in a 75 degree F environment and a high-cooling level of 480 Btu/hour in a 95 degree F environment. The unit has an envelope 8 inches wide by 11 inches high by 4.5 inches deep. The TE unit was designed to optimize space and power consumption while providing adequate cooling. The operation of the TE cooling unit requires ∼1.2 amps of 28 VDC power in the low power mode and ∼3.0 amps of 28 VDC power in the high power mode. Two of these units have flown on several shuttle missions this year and are scheduled for continued use on future missions. The response to the TE unit's performance has been very positive from the shuttle crew. Additional units are being fabricated to keep the shuttle crew members cooled while final development is under way. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

[en] We propose four different models of three-terminal quantum dot thermoelectric devices. From general thermodynamic laws, we examine the reversible efficiencies of the four different models. Based on the master equation, the expressions for the efficiency and power output are derived and the corresponding working regions are determined. Moreover, we particularly analyze the performance of a three-terminal hybrid quantum dot refrigerator. The performance characteristic curves and the optimal performance parameters are obtained. Finally, we discuss the influence of the nonradiative effects on the optimal performance parameters in detail. (paper)

[en] The present paper reports the results of studies on the optimal control methods used for effective combined thermoelectric cooler design. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

[en] There are many applications where thermoelectric (TE) coolers can be used effectively as power generators. The literature available on this subject is scarce and very limited in scope. This paper describes the configuration, capability, limitations and performance of TE coolers to be used as power generators. Also presented are performance curves enabling the user to design the optimum TE module for any given power generation application

[en] The electrical conductivity, thermopower and the electronic contribution to the thermal conductivity of a superlattice, are calculated with the electric field and the thermal gradient applied parallel to the interfaces. Tunneling between quantum wells is included. The broadening of the lowest subband when the period of the superlattice is decreased produces a reduction of the thermoelectric figure of merit. However, we found that a moderate increase of the figure of merit may be expected for intermediate values of the period, due to the enhancement of the density of states produced by the superlattice structure

[en] The design of heat sinks for thermoelectric cooling assemblies is considered. Computer modeling of heat sink resistance on cooling performance characteristics off thermoelectric systems is performed

[en] We introduced a technology for reducing infrared radiation through the active cooling of hot surfaces by using a thermoelectric refrigerator. Certain surfaces were heated by aerodynamic heating, and the heat generation processes are proposed here. We calculated the temperatures and radiations from surfaces, while using thermoelectric refrigerators to cool the surfaces. The results showed that the contrast between the radiations of certain surfaces and the ambient environments can be removed using thermoelectric refrigerators.

[en] System identification is a procedure to characterize the dynamic behavior of a system, a system component based on measured data. This paper presents a study of the modeling and parameter identification of a refrigerator process by using the mathematical black-box modeling technique- ARX and ARMAX structure. A general ARX and ARMAX structure has been constructed for usual thermoelectric refrigerator systems and the Recursive Least Square (RLS) process is used for model parameters identification. The capabilities of the model constructed compared with that of ARX and ARMAX model. Several compositions of ARX and ARMAX orders and forgetting factor are analyzed for thermoelectric air-conditioning model to examine the optimal adjustments that improve their efficiency of PID controller

[en] The optimal performance of a thermoelectric device used as a refrigerator is discussed by using the rate of refrigeration and the coefficient of performance of the refrigerator under the influence of three main irreversibilities which are heat conduction, heat leak, and Joule heat. The coefficient of performance and the operating current of the refrigerator at the maximum rate of refrigeration and the operating current of the refrigerator at the maximum coefficient of performance. The reasonable ranges of the coefficient of performance, the rate of refrigeration, and the operating current for the refrigerator are determined. The results obtained here have more instructive meaning than those of non-equilibrium thermodynamics for the optimal design and operation of practical thermoelectric refrigerators. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics

[en] The present paper reports the results achieved in the process of the solution of the problem for the magnetic field optimal control in low-temperature cascade colors. copyright 1995 American Institute of Physics