Flow channels design and topology optimization of cold plates used for thermoelectric coolers

The integration of thermoelectric coolers (TECs) into thermal management systems facilitates precise temperature control for electronic devices. However, their effectiveness is hindered by traditional heat exchangers that utilize inadequate flow channel configurations. This study presents a topological cold plate tailored for TEC applications, aimed at enhancing heat dissipation on the hot side of the TEC. The results demonstrated that the enhanced flow channels significantly enhance convective heat transfer efficiency while achieving lower pressure drops. The overall thermohydraulic performance evaluation criterion (PEC) exceeds 1.9. The integration of the topological flow channel cooling module with the TEC resulted in a decreased cold-side temperature of -32.16 degrees C, achieved at a working current of 2.5 A and an inlet flow velocity of 0.7 m/s. The improved module demonstrated increased load capacity and decreased power consumption. The enhanced module achieved a load power of 22.75 W with a working current of 1.5 A and an inlet flow velocity of 0.7 m/s, representing an improvement of 16.19 %. The coefficient of performance (COP) reached 1.94. This study presents a new method to significantly enhance the performance of the thermoelectric cooler through the optimization of the heat exchanger topology on the hot side.