Experimental study of a thermoelectric heat pump system utilizing bent heat pipes for heat transfer

This paper presents the study of the novel thermoelectric heat pipe heat pumping system. Bent heat pipes with sintered powder wicks were utilized in a configuration which used centrifugal forces, due to rotation, to enhance heat transfer. The revolving heat pipes worked both as a fan and as a heat exchanger; however, extra fan blades were required to improve the fan performance. Fan performance tests were carried out, followed by the thermal performance, within which eight pieces of thermoelectric devices were applied to provide the heat pumping. The results showed that the system could provide airflows of up to 168.7 m-super-3/h with the revolving speed of 600 RPM, and maximum static pressure was up to 37 Pa. The system could supply the heating of up to 257.1 W with the coefficient of performance of up to 1.96. Comparisons were made between the revolving and stationary systems, and the results showed that the former increased the thermal performance by up to 10% in heating and up to 20% in cooling. Copyright The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.