PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS FOR PERFORMANCE OPTIMIZATION OF HEAT SINK MODEL USING THERMOELECTRIC COOLER (TEC)

The Cooling Challenge: Why TECs?
Modern electronics generate increasing heat, pushing traditional heatsinks to their limits. Efficient thermal management is critical for performance and longevity. Thermoelectric Coolers (TECs) offer an active cooling solution, leveraging the Peltier effect to move heat from one side to another.

This blog explores how varying the current supplied to a TEC impacts its cooling performance when integrated with a heatsink, using SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation’s EC module to identify the optimal current.

Our Virtual Test Bench: SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation (EC Module)

Key Simulation Parameters:

• Heat Source: 1 watt
• Ambient Temperature: 20.05 Celsius
• Forced Convection in Y axis: 1 m/s
• External Analysis
• All Solid Components Temperature: 25 Celsius

TEC Specification in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation EC module

Single stage TEC Performance Characteristics:

2.Maximum Temperature Drop (ΔTmax): The largest temperature differences the TEC can create (Q=0, Imax). Higher ΔTmax allows for lower relative cold side temperatures.

4.Maximum Voltage (Vmax):The max voltage at Imax and ΔTmax. A higher Vmax (for a given Imax) implies a higher internal resistance (R=V/I), leading to more I2R heating. If Qmax is low, this can result in net heating rather than cooling.

The “What If” Analysis: Varying TEC Current

“What if” you could test multiple performance scenarios instantly? With the Parametric Study in SOLIDWORKS Flow Simulation with EC module, that’s exactly what we did.

We ran simulations at five current levels (1A to 5A) to see how they affect cooling efficiency. The key metric? Maximum component temperature a clear indicator of thermal performance.

The result: fast, automated insights that helped us pinpoint the optimal setup with minimal effort.

Results & Insights: Finding the Optimal Current Cut plots:


Design table (data points) in Parametric What if Analysis

Above design table is a “What If Analysis” showing the thermal performance of a chip. It details how the chip’s maximum temperature changes as the current is increased from 1 to 5 amps.

Discussion
In this study using SOLIDWORKS Simulation EC module showed a fascinating pattern. when we ramped up the TEC’s power from 1 Ampere (A), the chip’s temperature really dropped! At 2A, it hit its coolest point, a refreshing 13.71°C (much better than 1A’s 17.38°C). But here’s the twist: push it further to 3A, and the temperature subtly climbed to 13.96°C. At 4A, it jumped significantly to 17.73°C, and by 5A, it was a hot 24.75°C! This means too much power makes the TEC start heating itself up more than it cools the chip. So, while more current initially helps, there’s a perfect sweet spot in our case, 2A where you get the best cooling without wasting power by making the cooler work against itself.

The problem is the TEC heats itself too much at high currents to resolve these issues.

• Change the TEC: Use a TEC with lower internal resistance or use a TEC which pumps more heat (Qmax).
• Improve Heatsink: Get a bigger or more efficient heatsink.
• Boost Airflow: Add or upgrade the fan on the heatsink.
• Control Current: Don’t just increase it. Use a system to find and hold the best current for cooling.

Optimal Current Identified:
Based on our analysis, the optimal current is clearly 2 Amperes. This is where we achieved the lowest component temperature, at 13.71 °C. Going beyond this point proved counterproductive; at 3A the temperature began to rise slightly to 13.96 °C, and by 4A and 5A, it had climbed significantly to 17.73 °C and 24.75 °C respectively. This data shows that increasing current beyond the optimum point leads to a sharp increase in the TEC’s own power consumption and self-heating, resulting in rapidly diminishing and eventually negative returns on cooling performance.

Please refer to the Previous Blog article for Introduction on Thermoelectric cooler (TEC).
https://beacon-india.com/understanding-thermoelectric-cooling-analysis-in-solidworks-flow-simulation/

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