Thermoelectric cooling · Prototype design · Thermal hardware
Bachelor design project on a compact, compressor-free refrigerator using the Peltier effect, framed here as early thermal-hardware evidence with clear discussion of the technology's efficiency limits.
Evidence dashboard
Can a small refrigeration concept be designed around solid-state thermoelectric cooling instead of a compressor, refrigerant loop and moving mechanical assembly?
The report documents TEC1-12706 Peltier modules, aluminium heat sinks, cooling fans, polyurethane insulation, an 18650 lithium-ion battery, PIC18F4520 control, LM35 temperature sensing and relay switching.
The hot side was designed around forced air heat rejection while the cold side removed heat from the cooling compartment. The report states 6 modules, with 4 assigned to the cooling compartment and 2 to the freezer compartment.
The report explicitly recognises the core limitation: thermoelectric cooling is compact, quiet and mechanically simple, but its COP is far below domestic vapour-compression refrigerators. That trade-off is the useful engineering lesson.
This project sits early in the portfolio because it is not a mature product design. Its value is that it shows the first version of a theme that became much stronger later: thermal hardware, heat rejection, sensing and the difference between an attractive concept and a physically efficient system.
The report connects the Peltier effect to practical component choices: the module moves heat from one ceramic face to the other under DC current, so the hot side must be aggressively cooled for the cold side to remain useful.