Peltier / TEC engineering tool
Thermoelectric Cooler Calculator
Check whether a TEC can hold your target temperature, then size the operating current, power supply and hot-side heatsink.
Decision
Calculation results
Ready to calculate
Enter your system conditions
The calculator will find the lowest-current operating point that satisfies your target and design margin.
Power supply—
Calculated from the selected module connection.
Next actionRun the calculation
A specific system recommendation will appear here.
Current sweep
Performance curves
Achievable temperatureCold and hot side vs current
EfficiencyCOP vs current
Electrical and thermal loadInput power and hot-side heat vs current
From datasheet to system decision
What this TEC calculator includes
Real hot-side temperature
The calculator adds the cooling load and TEC electrical power, then iterates the heatsink temperature until the thermal balance converges.
Recommended operating point
It sweeps current up to Imax and selects the first low-current point that reaches the target with your chosen cooling margin.
Actionable component sizing
Results include supply voltage, supply current, electrical power, hot-side heat and the maximum heatsink thermal resistance.
Core heat balance
The heatsink must reject both heat streams
The TEC moves the cold-side load and adds its own electrical input. The combined heat reaches the heatsink.
Qh = Qc + Pin
Hot-side heat = cooling load + TEC electrical power
Practical guidance
Thermoelectric cooler calculator FAQ
What values should I copy from the TEC datasheet?
Use Qmax, ΔTmax, Imax, Vmax and the hot-side test temperature from the same specification table or performance condition.
What should be included in the cooling load?
Include active device heat plus heat entering through insulation, air leakage, wiring, fasteners, mounts and other thermal bridges.
Why can a stronger current increase the hot-side temperature?
Higher current increases heat pumping but also raises resistive electrical heating. After the optimum region, the extra input power can reduce useful cooling performance.
How should multiple TEC modules be connected?
Parallel connection keeps the module voltage and multiplies supply current. Series connection keeps module current and multiplies supply voltage. The tool assumes identical modules and even heat sharing.