Comparative implementation of thermoelectric coolers in transformer cooling

Abstract

In this study, using a comprehensive experimental methodology, thermoelectric coolers (TECs) are used for transformer cooling in contrast to classical methods such as air, oil, and water. The effects of this operation are analyzed in terms of cooling power and main transformer performance. Thus, thermoelectric modules with different performance effects (coefficients of performance - COPs) at different voltage and current values were installed in the cooling system. The TEC1-12706, SP-1848, and TEC1-12715 modules were added to the cooling system to reduce the temperatures occurring in the core and windings during the operation of the transformer. When the maximum daily temperature of the transformer was reached, its temperature values were examined in time periods. Without changing the operating voltage or current values, the temperature values were measured for the SP-1848, TEC1-12706, and TEC1-12715 modules. The experiments were carried out at 30 degrees C ambient temperature under the same conditions according to the IEC 60076-11 and IEEE C57.91-1995 standards. The results have shown that the SP-1848 TEC module exhibited lower internal resistance and less power consumption compared to other TECs and provided better cooling compared to the TEC1-12706 and TEC1-12715 modules. The cooling module of SP-1848 provided 10% and 21% better performance than the cooling systems with the TEC-12715 and TEC-12706 modules, respectively.