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Mini Fridge unit with the closed door designed to look like a bookshelf
After wrapping up the Fall 2018 semester, I went home for winter break wanting to build something and work with my hands, tired of sitting in lecture halls and writing up homework solutions all semester. I found an inspiring project idea where a Peltier module was used to create a thermoelectric cooling unit that served as a small scale refrigerator. Inspired by my thermodynamics class, I set out to build my own version of a thermoelectric mini fridge.
Inside of the unit, featuring a modified Styrofoam cooler and the cooling circuit
Problem
- Design a small scale refrigeration unit utilizing a Peltier thermoelectric cooling module
- Maximize thermodynamic performance of the cooling unit
- Use recycled components and materials to build the mini fridge
Utilized a recycled PC power supply to power the Peltier cooling module
Action
- Constructed a wooden case, complete with a hinged door, to house the refrigeration unit
- Modified an old Styrofoam cooler to serve as the insulated "fridge" compartment; had to cut some material off the lid and sand it to make it fit when it was fastened into the door, ensuring it created a tight seal when the wooden door was closed
- Created small openings in the top of the cooler to snuggly house the Peltier, heat sink, fans, and thermocouple to optimize cooling performance
- Wrote a small Arduino program to regulate the temperature of the mini fridge using the thermocouple
- Rewired an old PC power supply and wired up the cooling circuit with all the electronic components
Cooling circuit featured a thermocouple and Arduino to regulate the temperature
Results
- Designed and built my own thermoelectric mini fridge unit
- Was able to use all recycled components except the Peltier cooling module and the thermocouple
- After running for a few hours, the fridge can cool a few bottles of water to chilled temperatures
- Learned about thermodynamic design, circuit assembly, and got experience with fabrication techniques including woodworking and use of power tools
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