In this study, numerical simulation of transient thermal behavior of thermoelectric coolers is attempted based on a non-uniform-current model. In the present model, the thermoelectric cooler is divided into seven blocks, including aluminum plates, ceramic plates, and P-type and N-type thermoelectric elements. Numerical solution for three-dimensional distributions of electric voltage and electric current vectors in the thermoelectric cooler are firstly obtained. The obtained distribution of the electric current vectors is introduced into energy equation for the solutions of the transient thermal behavior of thermoelectric coolers. A parametric study is performed to investigate the effects of the influential parameters including applied electric current, heat transfer coefficient on the ceramic plate of hot end, heat transfer coefficient on surfaces of the P-type and N-type elements, height of the P-type and N-type elements, and cooling load per unit area. To verify the numerical predictions, experimental data have been presented for variation of temperatures of both cold and hot ends. It is observed that the numerical predictions closely agree with the experimental temperature data. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.