Experimental assessment of precision temperature control electronic architecture for solar-powered TEC refrigerator
1 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Trinity College of Engineering and Research, Pune, India.
2 Department of Electronics and Communication Engineering, PES University, Bangalore, India.
Research Article
World Journal of Advanced Engineering Technology and Sciences, 2023, 10(01), 030–039.
Article DOI: 10.30574/wjaets.2023.10.1.0251
Publication history:
Received on 29 July 2023; revised on 09 September 2023; accepted on 12 September 2023
Abstract:
This study presents experimental research concerning an active thermoelectric cooling control architecture applied to portable, solar-powered medical refrigerators. A specialized Electronic Control Unit (ECU) has been devised for regulating thermoelectric cooling, enabling users to define operational thresholds for the thermoelectric coolers through the system's architecture. The TEC1-12706 thermoelectric cooling system was employed. The system is engineered to swiftly cool the medical refrigerator's storage cabinet by up to 6 °C within 30 minutes and maintain a critical temperature range of 2 °C to 8 °C, vital for safeguarding thermolabile vaccines and medications. The control unit design encompasses a closed-loop control approach utilizing an Arduino Nano, a Linear voltage regulator, and a solar-powered battery charging setup. The Arduino issues signals based on preset points through sensors, thereby regulating the refrigeration system's desired temperature, while a relay module serves as an ON-OFF controller for temperature management. Preliminary results affirm that, in conjunction with a heat sink and DC fan, the thermoelectric cooler successfully achieves the intended temperature range, demonstrating promising cooling capabilities.
Keywords:
Thermoelectric; Refrigeration; Thermolabile vaccines; Medications; Arduino-Nano; Linear Voltage Regulator
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Copyright © 2023 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0