Report

Of

Minor Project

on

“Automated Water Cooler using Arduino”

Bachelor of Technology

In
Electronics & Communication Engineering

Submitted

by

Sumit Kumar (1509531052)

Sumit Verma (1509531053)

Mahatma Gandhi Mission’s College of Engineering and Technology, Noida

Affilated to

Dr.A.P.J. AKTU Luckow

2018-2019
 I

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that Report entitled “Automated Water Cooler using Arduino” which is
submitted by Sumit Kumar & Sumit Verma in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the
award of degree B. Tech. in Department of Electronics & Communication of Dr.A.P.J.
Abdul Kalam Technical University, is a record of the candidate own work carried out by him
under my/our supervision. The matter embodied in this report is original and has not been
submitted for the award of any other degree.

Date: Supervisor
 II

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to the best of my
knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by
another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the
award of any other degree or diploma of the university or other institute of higher
learning, except where due acknowledgment has been made in the text.

Signature :

Name : Sumit Kumar

Roll No. : 1509531052

Date :

Signature :

Name : Sumit Verma

Roll No. : 1509531053

Date :
 III

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

It gives us a great sense of pleasure to present the report of the B. Tech Minor Project during
B. Tech. Final Year. We owe special debt of gratitude to Professor Ms Ajita Singh,
Department of Electronics and Communication, MGM’s College of Engineering and
Technology, Noida for her constant support and guidance throughout the course of our work.
Her sincerity, thoroughness and perseverance have been a constant source of inspiration for
us. It is only his cognizant efforts that our endeavors have seen light of the day.

We also take the opportunity to acknowledge the contribution of Professor Ms Shilpi Shukla
Head, Department of of Electronics and Communication, MGM’s College of Engineering and
Technology, Noida for her full support and assistance during the development of the Minor
Project.

Signature :

Name : Sumit Kumar

Roll No.: 1509531052

Date :

Signature :

Name : Sumit Verma

Roll No.: 1509531053

Date :
 IV

TABLE OF CONTENT Page

CERTIFICATE ……..................................................................…………………………….… i
DECLARATION ....................................................................……………………………… ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ..................................................................…………………… iii
LIST OF FIGURES......................................................................…………………………… v
ABSTRACT..............................……………………………………………………… vi
CHAPTER 1 : INTRODUCTION………................................................................ 1
1.1 Motivation ………………………………………………………………… 3
1.2 Objective ………………………………………………………………….… 3
CHAPTER 2 : LITERATURE SURVEY..................................................................…………… 4
2.1 Name of the paper………………………………………………………………… 5
CHAPTER 3 : METHODOLOGY…………………………………………………………… 8
3.1 Thermoelectric cooler …………………………………………………………… 8
3.1.1 Seebeck Effect………………………………………………………… 9
3.1.2 Peltier Effect ………………………………………………………… 9
3.2 Arduino Microcontroller ……………………………………………………… 10
3.3 Relay ………………………………………………………………………… 11
3.4 Heat Distributer ………………………………………………………………… 12
3.5 GSM Module …………………………………………….…………………… 13
3.6 Force Sensitive Resistor ………………………………………………………… 14
3.6.1 Specification ……………………………………………………………… 16
3.6.2 Methodology to Measure Force…………………………………………… 16
3.7 Ultra-Sonic Sensor …………………………………………….……………… 18
3.7.1 Operation of Ultra-Sonic Sensor ………………………………………… 16
3.8 Material Review ……………………………………………………………….. 19
3.9 TEC Selection …………………………………………………………………. 21
CHAPTER 4 : THEORY ……………………………………………………………………………22
4.1 TEC Arrangement ……………………………………………………………… 23
4.2 Selection of Heat Distributer……………………………………………….. 23
4.3 Working of Wate Dispeser……………………………………………………….. 24
4.4 Working of Pantry System……………………………………………….. 25
4.5 Circuit Diagram…………………….…………………………………………… 25
CHAPTER 5 : WORKING………………………………………………………………… 26
 V

5.1 Peltier Cooler ………………………………………………………………… 26

5.2 Thermoelectric Cooling System……………………………………………… 27
CHAPTER 6 : ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES………………………………………… 29
6.1 Advantages …………………………………………………………………… 29
6.2 Disadvantages………………………………………………………………… 30
6.3 Applications…………………………………………………………………… 31
CHAPTER 7 : CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………… 32
REFERENCES …………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
 V

LIST OF FIGURES Pages

3.1 Thermoelectric Cooler …………………..………………………………………… 8

3.2 Seebeck Effect …………………………………………………………………… 9

3.3 Peltier Effect……………………………………………………………………… 10

3.4 Arduino Microcontroller ………………………………………………………. 11

3.5 Relay ……..……………………………………………………………………… 12

3.6 Heat Distributer ………….……………………………………………………… 13

3.7 GSM Module ………………….……………………………………………………… 13

3.8 Top View of SIM 900A ………….…………………………………………………… 14

3.9 Force Sensitive Resistor ………….…………………………………………………… 15

3.9.1 Force-Resistance-Conductance-Graph ………….…………………………… 17

3.10 Figure of Merit(ZT) VS Temperature(k) ………..……………………………… 20

4.1 Block Diagram of Water Cooler ……………………………………………………. 22

4.2 Block Diagram of Water Dispenser………….……………………………………… 24

4.3 Block Diagram of Pantry System………….……………………………………… 25

4.4 Circuit Diagram of Water Cooler …………………………………………………… 25

5.1 Peltier Module Structure…………………………………………………………… 27

5.2 Schematic of Thermoelectric Cooler ……………………………………………… 28

 VI

Abstract

In present scenario, HVAC system (commonly used in the air conditioners) is very efficient
and reliable but it has some demerits. It has been observed during the last two decades that
the O3 layer is slowly destroyed because of the refrigerant (CFC and HFC) used for the
refrigeration and air- conditioning purposes. The common refrigerant used is HFC’s which
are leaked and slowly ascend into the atmosphere. When they reach to O3 layer they act on
O3 molecules and the layer of O3 is destroyed. A single molecule of HFC can destroy
thousands of O3 molecules and that's why it has created a threat for the not only to maintain
earth eco system stable but also to existence of earth. Even the percentage of HFCs are
emitted into the atmosphere compared to CO2 is negligible but its global warming effect is
few thousand times of CO2. The effect of 100 gm of HFC can destroy 0.5 tons of O3 molecules.
These HFCs once destroy O3 layer; it takes hundreds of years to recover its thickness as it is
formed by complex reactions. This is because as HFCs comes in environment, they remain in
atmosphere for 18 years. The capacity of HFCs to increase in earth temperature 10% is
contributed by HFC’s only. That leads to the emergence of finding an alternative of the
conventional HVAC system, i.e. thermo-electric cooling and heating system.
 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

Thermoelectricity was discovered and developed in 1820-1920 in Western Europe, with much
of work centered in Berlin. The first important discovery related to thermoelectricity occurred
in 1823. German scientist Thomas Seebeck found that a circuit made from two dissimilar
metals and junctions of the same kept at two different temperatures, produces thermoelectric
force which is responsible for flow of the current through module. Now this invention is
known as Seebeck effect. In 1834, a French watchmaker and physicist, Jean Charles Athanase
Peltier invented thermoelectric cooling effect also known as Peltier effect. Peltier stated that
electric current flows through two dissimilar metals would produce heating and cooling at the
junctions. The true nature of Peltier effect was made clear by Emil Lenz in 1838, Lenz
demonstrated that water could be frozen when placed on a bismuth-antimony junction by
passage of an electric current through the junction. He also observed that if the current was
reversed the ice could be melted. In 1909 and 1911 Altenkirch give the basic theory of
thermoelectric. His work explained that thermoelectric cooling materials needed to have high
Seebeck coefficients, good electrical conductivity to minimize Joule heating, and low thermal
conductivity to reduce heat transfer from junctions to junctions. In 1949 Loffe developed
theory of semiconductors thermo-elements and in 1954 Goldsmid and Douglas demonstrated
that cooling from ordinary ambient temperatures down to below 0°C was possible. Rowe,
shortly after the development of practical semiconductors in 1950's, Bismuth Telluride began
to be the primary material used in the thermoelectric cooling.
Peltier Module is the component which works on Peltier effect. At and electrified junction of
two different types of materials which act as pure conductor, then presence of heating and
cooling is called Peltier Effect. If we are considering two different conductors A & B, when
current is to flow through the junction of these conductors, the few amount of heat may be
generated at the point of junction. This generated heat is called Peltier Heat and it is said to
heat generated per unit time Q, and equal to
Q = (ȆA + ȆB)
 2

Where,
Q = Total Heat at junction of Conductors
ȆA = Peltier coefficient of conductor A
ȆB = Peltier coefficient of conductor A
I =Current flowing through A & B
The heating & cooling through Peltier Module is completely depends upon the point of
contact and the material you are using. In our experiment we are using copper metal because
copper has very good thermal conductivity. Peltier heating or cooling are the work of build-in
contact electric and valence forces on moving charges and the generation (or recombination)
in space charge region [1]. The device which works on this principle is some time called
thermoelectric module also. Due to the Peltier effect it called Peltier Module. The main
problem in this module is the difference of temperature created on the layers of module. The
junction temperature is different and layer temperature is slightly difference. We cannot
evaluate the exact temperature of the layer. It depends upon the dT.[11]
dT = T1 –T2 (2)
Where, T1 is temperature of one side and T2 is temperature of other side. Experimentally it is
depend upon the Heat Sink which is connected to the hot side plate. If Heat Sink is keep cool
then the lowest temperature will be achieve is -2oC and if we keep hot plate open then the
temperature achieve in the hot side is 85oC. But there is a problem during heating. If we give
power supply more than this temperature then it will burn and device will be damage. So for
heating we can use it till 85oC. Peltier effect from the new Physics point of view is explained
in [1]. In Fig.1 the schematic diagram of thermoelectric module is shown. It has two types of
semiconductors mounted. P type semiconductor branch has positive Seebeck coefficient “a”
and in N type semiconductor has negative coefficient of “a”. These two branches of
semiconductors are joined by a good conductor like metal. On supplying D.C. current, the
junction between n and p junction will be cooled and if a body touch with it then t will get
cooled. In fig.1 Tc and To if the temperature of cold side and hot side respectively. Tc will be
always less than To.
 3

1.1 Motivation

The motivation for this project is arises from the fact that traditional refrigerators uses harmful
gases and contain mechanical parts which requires maintenance. So we came up with the idea
of building a cooler which will cost less and will have less mechanical parts. In growing
concern about green and clean products, this product will help to provide a better approach
towards a cleaner environment. With population and pollution increasing at an alarming rate
TEC (thermoelectric couple) system have come to rescue as these are environment friendly,
compact and affordable. Conventional compressor run cooling devices have many drawbacks
pertaining to energy efficiency and the use of CFC refrigerants. Both these factors indirectly
point to the impending scenario of global warming. As most of the electricity generation relies
on the coal power plants, which add greenhouse gases to the atmosphere is the major cause of
global warming

1.2 Objective

Objective of this project is to design thermoelectric Refrigerator utilize Peltier effect to

refrigerate and maintain a specified temperature, perform temperature control in the range 13
°C to 25 °C. Interior cooled volume of 25 Liter and Retention for next half hour .
Thermoelectric cooling uses the Peltier effect to create a heat flux between the junction of two
different types of materials. This effect is commonly used in camping and portable coolers.
 4

CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE SURVEY

In [11] , three model of Peltier module has been used and experimentally verify the
temperature performance according to the time when we supply 12 V, 2A DC. The entire
performance graph can be analyzed. The cooling and heating from Peltier module is totally
depend upon the stress and contacting terminal of the Ceramic plate which is acting like two
electrodes. Power supply is one of the important factors in case of heating. Without controlled
power supply and switching, its performance will be down and device will stop working. This
Peltier module is very important electronics component for better power saving. This has very
low power and high output. So in general life we can use this device. Mainly 60o C to 80o C
required for cloth iron and hair dryers, and we success to achieve temperature from this Peltier
module. So it will be better to use it except other heating element which is available in the
market. Through Evaporative cooler pad and this thermoelectric module our cooler can
perform very low temperature task. And if we use desiccant wheel then it will much effective
because we can get low temperature air with dry air. So it can slightly remove air-conditioners
availability with low power consumption.

In [12], thermoelectric Air cooling & heating system was designed and built which can be
used for personal cooling & heating. Four TECs were used for achieving the cooling with a
DC power supply through external power supply (dimmer stat). It had been shown from
testing results that the cooling system is capable of cooling & heating the air when re-
circulating the air with the help of blower.TEC cooling designed was able to cool an ambient
air temperature from 32.5°C to 22.1°C. Cooling stabilizes within ten minutes once the blower
is turned ON (with a velocity of 2.5 m/s). The system can attain a temperature difference of set
target which was 6°C. Accomplishing the set target establish the success of the project. All the
components in the project had been tested individually and the results were found to be
 5

positive. The prototype can be made compact by selecting as single TEC of higher power (.i.e.
of 200W or more). It can be done by choosing a better cold side heat sink that has twisted
channels or pipes for circulating the air for a longer time. As an alternative for normal axial
fan used in this project, if a blower fans is selected, the cooling system would provide better
airflow. Even as shown in the appended figure we can mount no of TEC cooling in Well-
known TEC brands (.i.e. Melcor, Ferro TEC etc) must be chosen if there is only one high
power TEC selected for the cooling system. Bigger hot side heat sink has to be selected
accurately based its calculated thermal resistances for best cooling efficiency. With a single
TEC, one hot side and a cold side heat sink a smaller personal TEC cooler which gives
comfort can be fabricated and can be installed on roof for individual cooling by changing the
airflow and some mechanical or electronics section modification, the TEC air cooling for car
can be used for heating applications too.

In [13], this paper reviews the developments in TER system over the years. This study on the
thermoelectric refrigeration emphasize that the TER system is a novel refrigeration system
which will be a better alternative for conventional refrigeration system. The research and
development work carried out by different researchers on TER system has been thoroughly
reviewed in this paper. The study of this seminar spreads over the application of TER system
and various technologies used with the same. This seminar summarizes the advancement in
thermoelectric refrigeration, thermoelectric materials, recent modeling approaches, application
in domestic appliances and various technologies. This paper also concludes that, to achieve
better COP & temperature control we can combine TER with other refrigeration systems. For
example combining VCR & TER systems reduces the energy consumption, gives high COP &
good temperature control within the refrigerated area. Hence it is better to have such hybrid
systems & devices to reduce total energy consumption.

In [14], the refrigeration system of thermoelectric refrigerator (TER: 25×25 ×35 cm3) was
fabricated by using a thermoelectric cooler (TEC: 4×4 cm2) and applied electrical power of 40
 6

W. TEC cold plate temperature (Tc) was decreased from 30 ºC to –4.2 ºC in 1 hr & 50 ºC for
hot plate. The TER temperature was decreased from 30 ºC to 20 ºC in 1 hr and slowly
decreased for 24 hrs. The maximum COP of TEC and TER were 3.0 and 0.65, respectively.

In [15], the research effort made by different researchers for design and development of novel
thermoelectric refrigeration and space conditioning systems has been thoroughly reviewed in
this paper. Also the advantages and cost-effectiveness offered by thermoelectric cooling
system over conventional cooling system have been explained. A temperature reduction of 11
oC without any heat load and 9oC with 100 ml of water in refrigeration space at 23oC ambient
temperature in first 30 minutes has been experimentally found at optimized operating
conditions. The calculated COP of developed experimental thermoelectric refrigeration
cabinet was 0.1. The available literature shows that thermoelectric cooling systems are
generally only around 5–15% as efficient compared to 40–60% achieved by conventional
compression cooling system. This is basically limited by figure of merit of thermoelectric
material and efficiency of heat exchange system. Continuous efforts are given by researchers
for development of higher figure of merit thermoelectric materials may provide a potential
commercial use of thermoelectric refrigeration and space conditioning system. Also
compatibility of thermoelectric cooling systems with solar energy made them more useful and
appropriate for environment protection.
 7

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

The main parts of water cooler are as follows:

3.1 Thermoelectric Cooler

Thermoelectric coolers operate by the Peltier effect (which also goes by the more general
name thermoelectric effect). The device has two sides, and when a DC electric current flows
through the device, it brings heat from one side to the other, so that one side gets cooler while
the other gets hotter. The "hot" side is attached to a heat sink so that it remains at ambient
temperature, while the cool side goes below room temperature. In some applications, multiple
coolers can be cascaded together for lower temperature.[1]

Fig.3.1 Thermoelectric Cooler

The thermoelectric effect is the direct conversion of temperature differences to electric voltage
and vice versa. A thermoelectric device creates voltage when there is a different temperature
on each side. Conversely, when a voltage is applied to it, it creates a temperature difference.
 8

At the atomic scale, an applied temperature gradient causes charge carriers in the material to
diffuse from the hot side to the cold side. The term "thermoelectric effect" encompasses three
separately identified effects: the Seebeck effect, Peltier effect, and Thomson effect.

3.1.1 Seebeck effect

The Seebeck effect is the conversion of heat directly into electricity at the junction of different
types of wire. Originally discovered in 1794 by Italian scientist Alessandro Volta, it is named
after the Baltic German physicist Thomas Johann Seebeck, who in 1821 independently
rediscovered it. It was observed that a compass needle would be deflected by a closed loop
formed by two different metals joined in two places, with a temperature difference between
the joints. This was because the electron energy levels in each metal shifted differently and
a potential difference between the junctions created an electrical current and therefore
a magnetic field around the wires. Seebeck did not recognize that there was an electric current
involved, so he called the phenomenon "thermomagnetic effect". Danish physicist Hans
Christian Orsted rectified the oversight and coined the term "thermoelectricity".[2]

Fig.3.2 Seebeck Effect

 9

3.1.2 Peltier Effect

The Peltier effect is the presence of heating or cooling at an electrified junction of two
different conductors and is named after French physicist Jean Charles Athanase Peltier, who
discovered it in 1834. When electric current is passed through a circuit consisting of two
different Semiconductors or conductors, a cooling effect is observed in one junction whereas
another junction experiences a rise in temperature. This change in temperatures at the
junctions is called the Peltier effect.[3]

Fig.3.3 Peltier Effect

3.1.3 Thomson effect

Thomson effect, the evolution or absorption of heat when electric current passes through a
circuit composed of a single material that has a temperature difference along its length. This
transfer of heat is superimposed on the common production of heat associated with
the electrical resistance to currents in conductors. If a copper wire carrying a steady electric
current is subjected to external heating at a short section while the rest remains cooler, heat is
absorbed from the copper as the conventional current approaches the hot point, and heat is
transferred to the copper just beyond the hot point. This effect was discovered (1854) by the
British physicist William Thomson (Lord Kelvin).[4]
 10

3.2 Arduino Microcontroller

Arduino is an open-source hardware and software company, project and user community that
designs and manufactures single-board microcontrollers and microcontroller kits for building
digital devices and interactive objects that can sense and control objects in the physical and
digital world. Most Arduino boards consist of an Atmel 8-bit
AVR microcontroller (ATmega8,[24] ATmega168, ATmega328, ATmega1280, ATmega2560)
with varying amounts of flash memory, pins, and features. The 32-bit Arduino Due, based on
the Atmel SAM3X8E was introduced in 2012. The boards use single or double-row pins or
female headers that facilitate connections for programming and incorporation into other
circuits. These may connect with add-on modules termed shields. Multiple and possibly
stacked shields may be individually addressable via an I²C serial bus. Most boards include a 5
V linear regulator and a 16 MHz crystal oscillator or ceramic resonator. Some designs, such as
the LilyPad, run at 8 MHz and dispense with the onboard voltage regulator due to specific
form-factor restrictions.[6]

Fig.3.4 Arduino Microcontroller

3.3 Relay

A relay is an electrically operated switch of mains voltage. It means that it can be turned on or
off, letting the current go through or not.Relays are used where it is necessary to control a
 11

circuit by a separate low-power signal, or where several circuits must be controlled by one
signal. There are three connections in relay.

Fig.3.5 Relay

 COM: common pin

 NO (Normally Open): there is no contact between the common pin and the normally
open pin. So, when you trigger the relay, it connects to the COM pin and supply is
provided to a load
 NC (Normally Closed): there is contact between the common pin and the normally
closed pin. There is always connection between the COM and NC pins, even when the
relay is turned off. When you trigger the relay, the circuit is opened and there is no supply
provided to a load.

3.4 Heat Distributer

A heat distributer is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an
electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium, often air or a liquid coolant, where it
is dissipated away from the device, thereby allowing regulation of the device's temperature at
optimal levels. In computers, heat sinks are used to cool central processing units or graphics
processors. Heat sinks are used with high-power semiconductor devices such as
 12

power transistors and optoelectronics such as lasers and light emitting diodes (LEDs), where
the heat dissipation ability of the component itself is insufficient to moderate its temperature.
A heat sink is designed to maximize its surface area in contact with the cooling medium
surrounding it, such as the air. Air velocity, choice of material, protrusion design and surface
treatment are factors that affect the performance of a heat sink. Heat sink attachment methods
and thermal interface materials also affect the die temperature of the integrated
circuit. Thermal adhesive or thermal grease improve the heat sink's performance by filling air
gaps between the heat sink and the heat spreader on the device. A heat sink is usually made
out of copper or aluminium. Copper is used because it has many desirable properties for
thermally efficient and durable heat exchangers. First and foremost, copper is an excellent
conductor of heat. This means that copper's high thermal conductivity allows heat to pass
through it quickly. Aluminium heat sinks are used as a low-cost, lightweight alternative to
copper heat sinks, and have a lower thermal conductivity than copper.[6]

Fig.3.6 Heat distributer

 13

3.5 GSM Module

The GSM module works on a frequency of 850/900/1800/1900MHz and can be used not only
to access the internet, but also for oral communication (provided that it is connected to a
microphone and a small loud speaker) and for SMSs. Externally, it looks like a big package
(0.94 inches x 0.94 inches x 0.12 inches) with L-shaped contacts on four sides so that they can
be soldered both on the side and at the bottom. Internally, the module is managed by an
AMR926EJ-S processor, which controls phone communication, data communication (through
an integrated TCP/IP stack), and (through an UART and a TTL serial interface) the
communication with the circuit interfaced with the cell phone itself. The processor is also in
charge of a SIM card (3 or 1,8 V) which needs to be attached to the outer wall of the module.
In addition, the GSM900 device integrates an analog interface, an A/D converter, an RTC,
an SPI bus, an I²C, and a PWM module. The radio section is GSM phase 2/2+ compatible and
is either class 4 (2 W) at 850/ 900 MHz or class 1 (1 W) at 1800/1900 MHz.The module is
supplied with continuous energy (between 3.4 and 4.5 V) and absorbs a maximum of 0.8 A
during transmission.

Fig.3.7 GSM Module

 14

Fig.3.8 Top View of SIM 900A

3.6 Force Sensitive Resistor(FSR)

FSRs are sensors that allow you to detect physical pressure, squeezing and weight. They are
simple to use and low cost. Fig 3.9 is an FSR, specifically the Interlink 402 model. The 1/2"
diameter round part is the sensitive bit.
The FSR is made of 2 layers separated by a spacer. The more one presses, the more of those
Active Element dots touch the semiconductor and that makes the resistance go down. A force-
sensitive resistor (alternatively called a force-sensing resistor or simply an FSR) has a variable
resistance as a function of applied pressure.
 15

In this sense, the term “force-sensitive” is misleading a more appropriate one would be
“pressure-sensitive”, since the sensor's output is dependent on the area on the sensor's surface
to which force is applied.

Fig.3.9 Force sensitive Resistor

These devices are fabricated with elastic material in four layers, consisting of:
 A layer of electrically insulating plastic
 An active area consisting of a pattern of conductors, which is connected to the leads on
the tail to be charged with an electrical voltage
 A plastic spacer, which includes an opening aligned with the active area, as well as an air
vent through the tail
 A flexible substrate coated with a thick polymer conductive film, aligned with the active
area. This polymer is very often replaced by a layer of FSR ink

When external force is applied to the sensor, the resistive element is deformed against the
substrate. Air from the spacer opening is pushed through the air vent in the tail, and the
conductive material on the substrate comes into contact with parts of the active area. The more
of the active area that touches the conductive element, the lower the resistance. All FSRs
exhibit a “switchlike response”, meaning some amount of force is necessary to break the
sensor's resistance at rest (approximately 1 MΩ), and push it into the measurement range
(beginning at approximately 100 KΩ) (Interlink Electronics 2005).
 16

Operationally, an FSR is very similar to strain guage the main difference being that a strain
gauge's backing deforms with the resistive element, while an FSR's does not. This fact is
important to consider when mounting an FSR against a support, as discussed below.
The same applied force will result in a wider output swing in a FSR than a strain gauge. Strain
gauges, however, have higher accuracy than an FSR. Depending upon the particular needs of
the application, one may choose one or the other. Ultimately, a major consideration in the
choice of a sensor is cost; a major advantage of FSRs is their low cost.

3.6.1 Specification

 Size: 1/2" (12.5mm) diameter active area by 0.02" thick (Interlink does have some that
are as large as 1.5"x1.5")
 Resistance range: Infinite/open circuit (no pressure), 100KΩ (light pressure) to 200Ω
(max. pressure)
 Force range: 0 to 20 lb. (0 to 100 Newtons) applied evenly over the 0.125 sq in surface
area
 Power supply: Uses less than 1mA of current (depends on any pullup/down resistors
used and supply voltage)

3.6.2 Methodology to Measure Force

Force-sensing resistors consist of a conductive polymer, which changes resistance in a

predictable manner following application of force to its surface. They are normally supplied as
a polymer sheet or ink that can be applied by screen printing. The sensing film consists of both
electrically conducting and non-conducting particles suspended in matrix. The particles are
sub-micrometre sizes, and are formulated to reduce the temperature dependence, improve
mechanical properties and increase surface durability. Applying a force to the surface of the
sensing film causes particles to touch the conducting electrodes, changing the resistance of the
film. As with all resistive based sensors, force-sensing resistors require a relatively simple
interface and can operate satisfactorily in moderately hostile environments.
 17

The easiest way to measure a resistance of FSR is to connect one terminal to power and the
other to a pull-down resistor to ground. Then the point between the fixed pull-down resistor
and the variable FSR resistor is connected to the analogue input of a Controller board. In this
configuration the analogue voltage reading ranges from 0V (ground) to about 5V (or about the
same as the power supply voltage).

Measuring the Newton force by the FSR it is good idea to map analogue voltage reading
ranges to 0 V to supply voltage. After that you can calculate the FSR resistance using
following formula:

RFSR = ( (Vcc - U) * R1) / U

Where: RFSR - FSR Resistance Vcc – supply voltage. Usually 5 V U – The measured voltage.
The ADC reading must be converted to 0 V - Vcc R1 – resistor. 10 k
Then you can calculate the conductivity CFSR in S/m [Siemens per meter]. The conductance is
plotted vs. force (the inverse of resistance: 1/r). This format allows interpretation on a linear
scale.
Use the FSR guide graphs on the datasheet to approximate the force. It depends on the
measurable range. For example (0-1 Kg) low force range can be use formula:

FFSR = CFSR / 80

Fig.3.9.1 Force-Resistance-Conductance Graph

 18

3.7 Ultra-Sonic Sensor

Ultrasonic sensors measure distance by using ultrasonic waves. The sensor head emits an
ultrasonic wave and receives the wave reflected back from the target. Ultrasonic Sensors
measure the distance to the target by measuring the time between the emission and reception.
Sound waves are having specific frequencies or number of oscillations per second. Humans
can detect sounds in a frequency range from about 20Hz to 20 KHz. However the frequency
range normally employed in ultrasonic detection is 100 KHz to 50MHz. The velocity of
ultrasound at a particular time and temperature is constant in a medium.

W = C/F (or) W = CT

Where, W = Wave length

C = Velocity of sound in a medium

F = Frequency of wave

T=Time Period

The most common methods of ultrasonic examination utilize either longitudinal waves or
shear waves. The longitudinal wave is a compression wave in which the particle motion is in
the same direction of the propagation wave. The shear wave is a wave motion in which the
particle motion is perpendicular to the direction of propagation. Ultrasonic detection
introduces high frequency sound waves into a test object to obtain information about the
object without altering or damaging it in any way. Two values are measured in ultrasonic
detection.

3.7.1 Operation of ultrasonic sensors

When an electrical pulse of high voltage is applied to the ultrasonic transducer it vibrates
across a specific spectrum of frequencies and generates a burst of sound waves. Whenever any
obstacle comes ahead of the ultrasonic sensor the sound waves will reflect back in the form of
echo and generates an electric pulse. It calculates the time taken between sending sound waves
 19

and receiving echo. The echo patterns will be compared with the patterns of sound waves to
determine detected signal’s condition.

3.7 Material Review

Thermoelectric module is made of two different semiconducting materials, which generate

thermoelectric cooling effect (Peltier effect) when a voltage of similar polarity & in
appropriate direction applied through the connected junction. Two heat sinks & fans are
attached to hot and cold sides of thermoelectric module in order to enhance heat transfer and
system performance. There exists an optimum current & optimum voltage for maximum
coefficient of performance (COP) for a specific module and fixed hot/cold side temperatures.
According to the primary criterion of figure of merit(Z = a^2/Rk), a good thermoelectric
material should have high Seebeck coefficient, high electrical conductivity, and low thermal
conductivity. Commonly used thermoelectric materials are Bismuth Telluride (Bi2Te3), Lead
Telluride (PbTe), Silicon Germanium (SiGe) and Cobalt Antimony (CoSb3), among which
Bi2Te3 is the most commonly used one. These materials usually process a ZT value (figure of
merit at temperature) less than one. From 1960s to 1990s, developments in materials in the
view of increasing ZT value was modest, but after the mid-1990s, by using nano structural
engineering thermoelectric material efficiency is greatly improved. Thermoelectric materials
such as primary bulk thermoelectric materials like skutterudites, clathrates and half-Heusler
alloys, which are principally produced through doping method are developed but not exploited
for commercial use. The best commercial thermoelectric materials currently have ZT values
around 1.0. The highest ZT value in research is about 3. Other best reported thermoelectric
materials have figure-of-merit values of 1.2-2.2 at temperature range of 320-5200C. It is
estimated that thermoelectric coolers with ZT value of 1.0 operate at only 10% of Carnot
efficiency. Some 30% of Carnot efficiency could be reached by a device with a ZT value of 4.
However, increasing ZT to 4 has remained a formidable challenge. Bell also mentioned that if
the average ZT reaches 2, domestic and commercial solid-state heating, ventilating and air-
cooling systems using thermoelectric material would become practical. Figure 4.3 shows the
ZT characteristics of common thermoelectric materials.[8]
 20

Fig.3.10 Figure of merit(ZT) VS Temperature(K)

 21

3.8 TEC Selection

The TEC was selected considering few factors such as dimensions, Qc, power supply and etc.
The model of TECs used in this project was manufactured in China by Hebei I.T (Shangai) Co.
Ltd. The model no. of the module is TEC1-12706. The idea was to select a TEC which has a
cooling power greater than the calculated TEC. TEC1-12706 operates with an optimum
voltage of 12V. It has maximum voltage of 15.4V. At 12V it draws and maximum DC current
of 4 A. The minimum power rating or the cooling power is 37.7 W. The maximum power is
48W. It has a maximum operating temperature of 200°C of the TEC are 68 when hot side
temperature is 25 °C. The charts from the TEC manufacture were also analyzed while
choosing the TEC. It had been decided to choose 4 TECs of the same model so that when the
power of all the 4 TECs is higher than the calculated cooling load. The minimum power rating
for 4 TECs added together was more than the cooling load calculated.
37.7W ×6 = 226W > 222W
The electrical power supplied to the TEC must be higher than the combined power rating of
the four TECs and it also depends on the arrangement of the TEC.
 22

CHAPTER 4

THEORY

The architecture of the water cooler is built using thermal insulating material like thermocol.
The dimensions of the water cooler is of (40x25x40)cm.

Fig.4.1 Block Diagram of Water Cooler

The architecture consist of two sections : Water dispenser section and water bottle section.
The heat sink is used to provide heat dissipation in surroundings. There are total of 4 big
temperature distributer and 4 small temperature distributer. The peltier module is placed
between the temperature destributers.
 23

4.1 TEC Arrangement

The ambient air blown from the blower is channeled into a group of four heat sinks which acts
as a rectangular duct as discussed earlier. It was decided to remove maximum amount of heat
from the point when the air started to enter the first heat sink. Keeping that in mind the first
heat sink was installed with two TECs in series and the second one also was installed with
another two TECs in series. This will help to remove more heat from of the air when air enters
the duct. The third and fourth heat sinks were installed with one TEC each and they were
connected in series also.

4.2 Selection of Heat Distributer

There were two different types of heat sink used for this project. One was for the cold side and
another for hot side. The initial idea of the project was to use a hollow cylinder as duct to
channel air, instead of heat sink on the cold side of the TEC. Initial testing after the proposal
stage with hollow cylinder, did not work out well. This was because there of less heat transfer
within the cylinder and the air coming out was not cold enough. So the decision was made to
use to heat sinks which acts a rectangular duct to channel air. A total of three different kinds of
heat sinks (temperature distributer) were used. One heat sink has 10 fins each, another two has
19 fins each and small sinks has 64 fins each which helped to dissipate coldness fast enough
from TECs cold side. In this project heat sinks (hot side and cold side) operate by conducting
heat or coldness from the TEC to the heat sink and then radiating to air. A better the transfer
of coldness between the two surfaces, the better the cooling will be. When the heat sinks were
attached the TECs, there will be uneven surfaces or gaps. The gap will cause for poor heat
transfer, even if it is negligible. To improve the thermal connection between the TECs and the
heat sinks a chemical compound was used. The heat sink compound, typically a white paste
made form zinc oxide in a silicone base ensures a good transfer of heat between the modules
and the heat sinks.
 24

4.3 Working of Water Dispenser

Water dispenser section is controlled by code written in arduino. The code contains a
threshold value of range which is used to trigger solenoid valve. When an object comes in the
range of set threshold range, the arduino will trigger MOSFET connected to arduino, this
MOSFET will then turn on the solenoid valve, and it will remain on till the object rest in
threshold range.

Fig.4.2 Block Diagram of Water Dispenser

4.4 Working of Pantry System

Pantry system consist of three major components: Arduino microcontroller, GSM Module and
FSR sensor. FSR sensor converts pressure into electrical signal. This signal will then goes to
arduino which do required operation. A code is written in arduino which contains a threshold
range which represent digital equivalence of pressure applied to FSR. If an object kept on the
FSR having pressure applied on FSR, if that pressure goes below the threshold range, this will
trigger another part of code which is written to send message to the users cell phone. The
message is an indication of the food items which is now below a required level.
 25

Fig.4.3 Block Diagram of Pantry System

4.3 Circuit Diagram

Fig.4.4 Circuit Diagram of Water Cooler

 26

CHAPTER 5

WORKING

5.1 Peltier Cooler

Thermoelectric coolers act as a solid-state heat pump. Each features an array of alternating n-
and p- type semiconductors. The semiconductors of different type have complementary Peltier
coefficients. The array of elements is soldered between two ceramic plates, electrically in
series and thermally in parallel. Solid solutions of bismuth telluride, antimony telluride, and
bismuth selenide are the preferred materials for Peltier effect devices because they provide the
best performance from 180 to 400 K and can be made both n-type and p-type.
Cooling occurs when a current passes through one or more pairs of elements from n- to p-type;
there is a decrease in temperature at the junction ("cold side"), resulting in the absorption of
heat from the environment. The heat is carried along the elements by electron transport and
released on the opposite ("hot") side as the electrons move from a high- to low-
energy state.The Peltier heat absorption is given by Q = P (Peltier Coefficient) I (current) t
(time). A single stage thermoelectric cooler can produce a maximum temperature difference of
about 70 degrees Celsius.
The cooling effect of any unit using thermoelectric coolers is proportional to the number of
coolers used. Typically multiple thermoelectric coolers are connected side by side and then
placed between two metal plates.
 27

Fig.5.1 Peltier Module Structure

5.2 Thermoelectric Cooling System

TE modules are also used for constructing thermoelectric refrigerator. Although the COP of a
TE module is lower than that of conventional VCR system, efforts have been made to develop
thermoelectric domestic refrigerators to exploit the advantages associated with this solid-state
energyconversion technology. The basic configuration of a thermoelectric refrigerator is
shown schematically in Figure 5.2 . It consists of a refrigerated cabinet, a Peltier module
sandwiched by two heat exchangers, a D.C. power supply and a temperature controller.
Although the basic structure of a thermoelectric refrigerator is essentially the same, their
configurations may differ significantly depending on the heat exchangers employed.[8]
 28

Fig.5.2 Schematic of Thermoelectric Refrigerator

 29

CHAPTER 6

ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

The use of thermoelectric modules often provides solutions, and in some cases the ONLY
solution, to many difficult thermal management problems where a low to moderate amount of
heat must be handled. While no one cooling method is ideal in all respects and the use of
thermoelectric modules will not be suitable for every application, TE coolers will often
provide substantial advantages over alternative technologies.

6.1 ADVANTAGES :

1. No Moving Parts: A TE module works electrically without any moving parts so they are
virtually maintenance free.

2. Small Size and Weight: The overall thermoelectric cooling system is much smaller and
lighter than a comparable mechanical system. In addition, a variety of standard and
special sizes and configurations are available to meet strict application requirements.

3. Ability to Cool Below Ambient: Unlike a conventional heat sink whose temperature
necessarily must rise above ambient, a TE cooler attached to that same heat sink has the
ability to reduce the temperature below the ambient value.

4. Ability to Heat and Cool With the Same module: Thermoelectric coolers will either
heat or cool depending upon the polarity of the applied DC power. This feature eliminates
the necessity of providing separate heating and cooling functions within a given system.

5. Precise Temperature Control: With an appropriate closed-loop temperature control

circuit, TE coolers can control temperatures to better than +/- 0.1°C.

6. High Reliability: Thermoelectric modules exhibit very high reliability due to their solid
state construction. Although reliability is somewhat application dependent, the life of
typical TE coolers is greater than 200,000 hours.
 30

7. Electrically “Quiet” Operation: Unlike a mechanical refrigeration system, TE modules

generate virtually no electrical noise and can be used in conjunction with sensitive
electronic sensors. They are also acoustically silent.

8. Operation in any Orientation: TEs can be used in any orientation and in zero gravity
environments. Thus they are popular in many aerospace applications.

9. Convenient Power Supply: TE modules operate directly from a DC power source.

Modules having a wide range of input voltages and currents are available. Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM) may be used in many applications

10. Spot Cooling: With a TE cooler it is possible to cool one specific component or area only,
thereby often making it unnecessary to cool an entire package or enclosure.

11. Ability to Generate Electrical Power: When used “in reverse” by applying a
temperature differential across the faces of a TE cooler, it is possible to generate a small
amount of DC power.

12. Environmentally Friendly: Conventional refrigeration systems can not be fabricated

without using chlorofluorocarbons or other chemicals that may be harmful to the
environment. Thermoelectric devices do not use or generate gases of any kind.

6.2 DISADVANTAGES :

1. Efficiency : The flowing current itself tends to generate a significant amount of heat,
which gets added to the overall heat dissipation. In large applications, this results in an
excessive amount of heat, which needs to be taken care of.

2. Suitable only for small capacity units : For larger units, more number of modules were
required which will increase the power consumption.

3. Heat distributer : For better and efficient cooling, large heat distributer are required.
Even liquid cooling in some cases.
 31

6.3 APPLICATIONS

Thermoelectric systems have a wide variety of applications.

1. It is used in many defense technologies as it can withstand extreme conditions.

2. As thermoelectric systems are not affected by orientation, it is used in many space

equipments that operate under zero gravity.

3. It is used to maintain viscosity in many ink jet printers.

4. It is used in laser diode arrays.

 32

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION

A Thermoelectric Air cooling system was designed and built which can be used for personal
cooling. Three TECs were used for achieving the cooling with a DC power supply through
external power supply (computer PSU). It had been shown from testing results that the cooling
system is capable of cooling the air when re-circulating the air with the help of blower.TEC
cooling designed was able to cool an ambient air temperature from 26.2°C to 14°C. Cooling
stabilizes within fifteen minutes once the blower is turned ON. The system can attain a
temperature difference of set target which was 15°C. Accomplishing the set target establish
the success of the project. All the components in the project had been tested individually and
the results were found to be positive. The prototype can be made compact by selecting as
single TEC of higher power (.i.e. of 200W or more). It can be done by choosing a better cold
side heat sink that has twisted channels or pipes for circulating the air for a longer time. As an
alternative for normal axial fan used in this project, if a blower fans is selected, the cooling
system would provide better airflow. Even as shown in the appended figure we can mount no
of TEC cooling in Well-known TEC brands (.i.e. Melcor, Ferro TEC etc) must be chosen if
there is only one high power TEC selected for the cooling system. Bigger hot side heat sink
has to be selected accurately based its calculated thermal resistances for best cooling
efficiency. With a single TEC, one hot side and a cold side heat sink a smaller personal TEC
cooler which gives comfort can be fabricated and can be installed on roof for individual
cooling by changing the airflow and some mechanical or electronics section modification, the
TEC air cooling for car can be used for heating applications too.
 33

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 34

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