Optimum performance analysis of an energy selective electron refrigerator affected by heat leaks

An energy selective electron (ESE) refrigerator with heat leaks is established in a one-dimensional system. Based on the theory of electronic transport, the expressions of the heat flux into hot and cold electron reservoirs are derived. When the heat leaks between two electron reservoirs via phonons are taken into account, the cooling rate, coefficient of performance (COP) and input power are obtained. The performance characteristic curves such as the cooling rate versus the COP, the cooling rate and the COP versus the center position of the resonance energy level are plotted by numerical calculation. The influence of the center position and width of the resonance energy level on the performance of the ESE refrigerator is analyzed in detail. Lastly, the influence of heat leaks and average temperature on the performance of the ESE refrigerator is discussed. The results obtained here have theoretical significance for understanding the thermodynamic performance of the practical ESE refrigerator.