A Study of the Design Method for the Cooling Equipment of Protective Clothing Using Thermoelectric Cooler

In this study, a compact and portable cooling equipment applicable to protective clothing was developed using thermoelectric modules (TEMs) to ensure the thermal comfort of workers wearing protective clothing in harsh working conditions. The air circulation flow rate and thermal resistance of a plate-fin heat sink used to enhance the operating performance of TEMs were theoretically modeled to achieve a target cooling power estimated using the amount of heat released from the human body. The cooling power and COP of the fabricated cooling equipment were experimentally derived and analyzed according to the change in the number of TECs and applied voltage. When a voltage of 5 V was applied to the four TECs, a maximum cooling power of 33 W, a circulation air temperature reduction of 7.6 C, and a COP of 0.87 were obtained. When a voltage of 2 V was applied to the two TECs, the highest COP of 1.82 was obtained, achieving a cooling power of 9.93 W. Finally, when the developed cooling system was applied to a worker wearing a protective clothing, a cooling power of ∼50 W and circulation air temperature reduction of ∼13 C were obtained.