Performance of a fresh-food storage box based on semiconductor refrigeration

With its limited size and high refrigeration speed, the semiconductor refrigeration plate has good application potential in the cold-chain transportation area. To examine the cooling capacity of a storage box with a semiconductor refrigeration plate, an experimental bench was established to investigate the performance of a storage box with semiconductor types TEC1-12706 and TEC1-12712. The results indicate that better airflow distribution occurs with the fan arranged parallel to the cold side of the refrigeration chip rather than vertically to the cold side. For cold storage, semiconductor type TEC1-12706 with the air cooling of the hot side is preferable. With this arrangement, the center temperature of the box could be maintained at 6 ℃ for 10 h. For freezing, semiconductor type TEC1-12712 with water cooling of the hot side and the fan below the cold-side fins is preferable. With this application method, the center temperature could be maintained below 0 ℃ for 3 h. Based on the experimental results, the temperature distribution inside the storage box was numerically simulated. It is found that the cooling rate inside the box is enhanced with an increase in the food distribution porosity and the velocity from the cold side.