This paper presents results of tests carried out to investigate the potential application of
heat pipes and phase change materials for thermoelectric refrigeration. The work involved the
design and construction of a thermoelectric refrigeration prototype. The performance of the
thermoelectric refrigeration system was investigated for two different configurations. The first
configuration employed a conventional heat sink system (bonded fin heat sink) on the cold
side of the thermoelectric cells. The other configuration used an encapsulated phase change
material in place of the conventional heat sink unit. Both configurations used heat pipe embedded
fins as the heat sink on the hot side. Replacement of the conventional heat sink system
with an encapsulated phase change material was found to improve the performance of the
thermoelectric refrigeration system. In addition, it provided a storage capability that would be
particularly useful for handling peak loads and overcoming losses during door openings and
power-off periods. Results showed that the heat sink units employing heat pipe embedded fins
were well suited to this application. Results also showed the importance of using a heat pipe
system between the cold junction of the thermoelectric cells and the cold heat sink in order
to prevent reverse heat flow in the event of power failure. Ó 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All
rights reserved.