23rd International Symposium on Transport Phenomena
Auckland, New Zealand
1922 November 2012
Study on utilization of thermal energy by slight temperature difference
(1) Basic performance of Peltier element
T. Togasaki1, N. Matsuda1 , T. Takeda1,and S. Funatani1
1
Department of Mechanical Systems Engineering, Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering
University of Yamanashi, Takeda 4-3-11, Kofu, Yamanashi, 400-8511, Japan
ABSTRACT
This study is to investigate of a utilization of thermal energy by
slight temperature difference. An experiment has been carried out
using the Peltier element and the phenolphthalein solution. We
obtained the basic performance of Peltier element, configuration
of elements, and so on. We also tried to make a kind of toy using
Peltier elements and hot water. This paper describes the
experimental apparatus, method, and detailed experimental
condition to change the color of test device using the hot water of
40C. It is found that color of the phenolphthalein solution using
the electrolytic solution which poured in calcium lactate can be
changed by the Peltier device. In order to increase an electric
voltage by the Peltier device to 5V, the booster circuit is
combined to the experimental apparatus. The electricity
generation becomes high efficiency when the Peltier elements
were placed parallel configuration. We have obtained the voltage
required to change the color of the phenolphthalein solution by
the experiment. The voltage decreased when electrolysed in
electrolytic solution, however, because of characteristics of the
booster circuit. It was found that, therefore, a discoloration
reaction became weak. In order to prevent the decreasing of the
voltage, it is important not only to reduce the area of contacting
surface between the electrolytic stick and the electrolytic solution
but also to adjust the injection dose of calcium lactate. The color
of the phenolphthalein solution can be changed more vividly by
this countermeasure.
1. INTRODUCTION
There are various kinds of unused energy in Japan. Temperature
difference energy, exhaust heat energy, etc. Especially, thermal
energy of low temperature difference is difficult to use because
conversion efficiency to electric energy is low. However, if
thermal energy can be used without additional cost, it is hoped to
establish a useful energy system because it used to be discarded
energy. Japanese often taking bath and the quantity of
household bath is about 200. There are many hot-spring resorts
in Japan. Hot water in the bath has enormous quantity of energy
but hot water after taking the bath was thrown away in most
families.
In Japan, convert to electric from unutilized heat of the hot-spring
is generally[1]. In this study, the temperature difference was
conducted by heat pipes and electric power was generated by
using Peltier devices. Electric power generation used thermal
energy of 40C hot water for utilizing thrown away heat. The
power generation from temperature difference was also
visualized by using chemical reaction.
2. Experimental apparatus and visualization method
2.1 Experimental apparatus
The schematic and photograph of an experimental device are
shown in Fig.1. Fig.2 shows the schematic drawing of the
experimental apparatus. The Seebeck effect of the Peltier device
was used for thermal energy conversion. In order to obtain the
temperature difference required for generating electricity of
Peltier device, Heat transport system was built using a CPU
cooler at the low temperature side which had heat pipes as shown
in Fig.1[2]. Difference of temperature was enlarged by using heat
pipes. The high temperature side of the Peltier device was heated
by heated water.
2.2 Visualization method
For visualizing the power generation by temperature difference,
following technique by using chemical reaction was used.
Electrolysis solution which added the phenolphthalein is known
as a pH indicator. When the solution was charged DC voltage,
the color of it near the negative pole changes to red. That is
caused by the fact of the hydroxyl ion which produces electrons
from phenolphthalein solution. When the DC voltage is charged
to the calcium lactate solution used as an electrolytic solution, the
reaction is expressed as following equation (1).
C6 H10CaO5 Ca 2 CH 3 CH (OH ) COO (1)
The chemical equation of the cathode side is expressed by
following chemical equation (2).
2Ca 2 4H 2 O 2Ca(OH ) 2 2H 2 (2)
Equation (2) shows that hydroxide ion is generated on the
cathode side. If the hydroxide ion and the phenolphthalein
solution were reacted, the chemical equation will be as shown as
equation (3).
H 2 A 2OH A2 2 H 2O (3)
A C20H12O4
The principle of the turning red reaction is that phenolphthalein
solution and a hydroxyl ion react and generate a conjugated
double bond. The level of voltage required for turning red can be
shifted by changing the concentration of calcium lactate which is
used as an electrolysis solution. The result of preliminary
experiment shows that the brightness of red is increased when
implantation rates of calcium lactate and the charged voltage was
increased. The threshold voltage of turning red is about 1.5 V.
 Water Outside air Temperature Electric
temperature[] temperature[] difference[] voltage[V]
Case1 40.4 20.4 20 0.28
Case2 40.5 20.4 20.1 0.41
Case3 39.8 20.4 19.4 0.31
Case4 40.3 20.4 19.9 0.51
Case5 40.5 20.4 20.1 0.36
Case6 40.6 20.4 20.2 0.38
Case7 40.3 20.4 19.9 0.67

3.3. Drive condition of booster circuit

Fig.1 Schematic drawing and photo of apparatus
In order to carry out color change of the phenolphthalein solution
by electrolysis, it was found by the exploratory experiment that
the voltage more than 1.5 V is required. Fig3 shows the result of
visualization of phenolphthalein solution at each voltage. It
shows that the colour turns red from 2V and the colour becomes
vividly when the voltage is 5V. Therefore, voltage booster circuit
MHT77X-5 V-KIT was used for the visualization experiment
because low input voltage can be boosted to 5 V. Fig4 shows a
circuit diagram of a booster circuit. The number of Peltier device
was set from one to four. When two or more Peltier devices were
used, they were arranged in parallel. In this experiment,
minimum temperature difference for driving a 5V booster circuit
at each number of Peltier devices was compared.

3.4. Experimental result of booster circuit

Fig5 shows the result of the voltage generated at each number of

Fig.2 Schematic drawing of experiment Peltier devices. The temperature difference required for driving
the 5V booster is shown in Fig.6. In this case, Peltier devices
were arranged in parallel. When the number of Peltier devices
3. Experimental methodology
was one, minimum temperature difference for driving was about
3.1. Experimental conditions 27.1C. When the number of Peltier devices was two, three and
four, minimum temperature difference for driving was about
The arrangement of Peltier devices was studied for generating the 21.3 C, 17.5 C and 13.0 C.
voltage for operating a booster circuit. The high temperature side
of the Peltier device was set about 40C. The number of Peltier The experimental result shows that the threshold value for
devices was set from two to four. The arrangements of Peltier driving the booster circuit was 0.41V. The booster circuit is
devices were parallel or pilled. Experimental conditions in controllable if a temperature difference is controllable. Therefore,
Table1 are described as follows, a booster circuit can play a role of a switch.
Case1: Pilled up two Peltier devices
Case2: Paralleled two Peltier devices
Case3: Piled up three Peltier devices
Case4: Paralleled three Peltier devices
Case5: Piled up four Peltier devices
Case6: Pilled up and paralleled (2x2) Peltier devices
Case7: Paralleled four Peltier devices

3.2. Experimental results of arrangement study

Experimental results are shown in Table1. It shows that the

voltage becomes larger when Peltier device is arranged in parallel.
It has same trend if the number of Peltier devices increase to
three or four.

Table 1 Relationship between electric voltage and Fig.3 Result of visualization experiment
temperature difference in various geometry of Peltier device
 The number of Peltier device was four and they were arranged in
parallel. Outside temperature was 20.6C. High temperature side
of the Peltier element was 40 C.

3.6. Experimental result of visualization

Fig.7 shows the result of visualization. Lactic acid calcium was

Fig.4 Circuit diagram of MHT77X-5 V-KIT
injected for 0.01g. The color was influenced by the amount of the
water solution. Fig.7 shows that phenolphthalein solution was
coloring red in every conditions. The color also turned red in
every condition even in the other injection volume. The intensity
of red becomes weaker when the amount of an electrolyte
solution increase to 30ml, 50ml. Table2, Table3, and Table4
shows the threshold voltage where the color changes. When the
injection volume of calcium lactate increases from 0.01g to 0.1g,
the threshold voltage falls. When the amount of electrolytic
solutions was increased, the voltage dropped. The principle of the
booster circuit is that it accumulates and discharge electric power
quickly. Therefore, lactic acid calcium becomes the load which
causes drop of voltage and it cause the output voltage unstable.
0.01g of lactic acid calcium will be the most optimum condition
because the voltage drop is comparatively small.

There is the other method to prevent a voltage drop. The voltage

drop can be reduced by reducing the surface area that is reacting
and the load becomes small. Fig.8 shows an example of
visualization that copper wire was used instead of the carbon rod.

Fig.5 The result of the thermal energy conversion by the

difference in the number of sheets of a Peltier device

Fig.7 Result of visualization experiment using 0.01g

C6H10CaO6

Table 2 Reaction voltage on 0.01g C6H10CaO6

Fig.6 Required temperature difference to boost voltage
C6H10CaO6 0.01[g]
3.5. Visualization method Water solution [ml] Initial voltage[V] Reaction voltage[V]
10.0 4.98 3.45
The visualization system consists of booster circuit, 30.0 4.98 2.90
phenolphthalein solution, carbon rod as an electrolysis stick and 50.0 4.98 2.50
calcium lactate solution as an electrolytic solution. The
experimental condition was set as follows. Calcium lactate which
was dissolved 0.01 g in 10, 30, 50 ml of water, added in small Table 3 Reaction voltage on 0.05g C6H10CaO6
quantities phenolphthalein solution and the density was
uniformed. In the next experiment, the injection volume of C6H10CaO6 0.05[g]
calcium lactate was changed to 0.05g, 0.1g. The effect of each Water solution [ml] Initial voltage[V] Reaction voltage[V]
parameter was studied by the series of experiments. 10.0 4.98 3.95
30.0 4.98 2.30
50.0 4.98 2.08
Table 4 Reaction voltage on 0.1g C6H10CaO6

C6H10CaO6 0.1[g]
Water solution [ml] Initial voltage[V] Reaction voltage[V]
10.0 4.98 3.70
30.0 4.98 2.29
50.0 4.98 2.03

Fig.9 Prototype of visualization equipment.

Table 5 Relationship between a Peltier device and outside air

temperature for the color reaction.

Number of peices of Required temperature Maximum outside air Minimum outside air
a Peltier device difference to boost voltage[C] temperature [C] temperature [C]
Four pieces 13C 23C 29C
Three pieces 17.5C 18.5C 24.5C
Two pieces 21.3C 14.7C 20.7C
One piece 27.1C 8.9C 14.9C

Fig.8 Result of visualization experiment 5. Conclusions

4. Applications In this study, the temperature difference was conducted by heat

This visualization method is applicable to something like a toy
which has thermal conversion equipment, booster circuit and
visualizing device. Fig.9 shows the prototype of visualization
equipment. Visualization equipment is compact and possible to
build in various kinds of equipment. The contact lens storage
container and the rubber ball were used for the container of the
equipment. Copper wire was used as electric poles. The container
was sealed in order to prevent leaking of electrolytic solution.
The visualization system for expressing temperature of hot water
had built.
As an example of visualization equipment, a system which use
40 C hot water and turns the colour of liquid to red was
proposed. The threshold temperature of changing the colour was
set to 40 C because the temperature of bath is around 40 C.
The method to change the threshold temperature is to change the
number of sheets of the Peltier device. Table 1 shows the
required number of sheets for changing the colour to red at
around 40C. It shows that temperature difference for operating
the booster circuit depends on the number of sheets. When the
temperature difference was lacked, the chromogenic reaction of
an electrolytic solution will not happen. However, this method
can be used only when the temperature of bath is much larger
than the threshold temperature. Therefore the circuit should be
cut off when the voltage is too large. By applying this
improvement, this system will become practical to detect the
comfortable temperature of bath.
pipes and electric power was generated by using Peltier devices.
The power generation from temperature difference was also
visualized by using chemical reaction.
(1) Optimum arrangement of Peltier device is the arrangement
in parallel.
(2) Relationship between temperature difference for boosting
the circuit and the number of sheets of a Peltier device was
studied.
(3) The effect of slight temperature difference was visualized by
using a phenolphthalein solution and calcium lactate.
(4) It is necessary to reduce the amount of the electrolyte
solution as a solution and control the injection volume of
calcium lactate because the voltage drop is generated by the
reaction of phenolphthalein
Acknowledgments
I gratefully appreciate the financial support of HAKKO Electric
Company Limited that made it possible to complete my thesis.
References
[1] Uraie, A., Utility of Power Generation by Temperature
Difference, Proceedings of the Kushiro National College of
Technology, 2003, pp.17-21.

[2] Takefuji, Y., The temperature difference exhaust heat

utilization power generation, Clean energy, 2010, pp.55-59.