Semiconductor thermoelectric devices are broadly used for various heat-pump applications, where they function as either a heater or a cooler. In this article, an integrated system combining thermoelectric heating and cooling is introduced, which not only improves the overall energy efficiency but has a great potential for applications in air sterilization and purification. In the proposed system, the air is firstly heated up for air sterilization by fins thermally grounded to the hot side of multiple thermoelectric devices. The air is then cooled down by the cold side of the same thermoelectric devices. The heat exchange and flow conditions of the system are analyzed, and it is found that the Nusselt number ratio after adding the fins is increased by two times compared with the smooth tube. The air temperature in the system can reach up to more than 65°C using multiple thermoelectric devices. Such a temperature is able to inactivate many viruses. The coefficient of performance of the overall system can reach 5.4. This work demonstrates new applications of thermoelectric devices for energy-efficient air sterilization applications.

半导体热电器件广泛用作各种热泵应用，在这些应用中，它们既可以用作加热器，也可以用作冷却器。本文介绍了一种结合了热电加热和冷却的集成系统，该系统不仅提高了整体能源效率，而且在空气消毒和净化方面具有巨大的应用潜力。在所提出的系统中，首先通过散热片将空气加热到多个热电装置的热侧，从而将空气加热以进行空气灭菌。然后，空气被同一热电装置的冷侧冷却。分析了系统的热交换和流动条件，发现添加翅片后的努塞尔数比与光滑管相比增加了两倍。使用多个热电设备，系统中的空气温度最高可以达到65°C以上。这样的温度能够灭活许多病毒。整个系统的性能系数可以达到5.4。这项工作演示了热电设备在节能空气消毒应用中的新应用。