Before the solid state stuff thermopiles were made with dissimilar metals, thermocouples. They make very small voltages, millivolts.
I never persued it but my immediate impression was the thermocouples need to be rebar not wire to get their resistance down. Millivolts get eaten quickly by milliohms. The advantages of thermocouples is higher operating temperature and since they are just metal they are nearly indestructible..
An inverter would be used to step up the voltage using very low resistance FETs
Will Rogers quote: "Stupidity got us into this – why can't it get us out?"
From: james_c_rock <jcelrock@hotmail.com>
To: electricboats@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Saturday, September 22, 2012 8:24 AM
Subject: [Electric Boats] Re: electricity from heat
NASA has used radioisotope thermal generators (RTG) since the 1960s.
Peltier Effect, Seebeck Effect and Thompson Effect Generators have been built and some combine the effects.
So far as I can tell efficiencies are in the range 5% to 10%, whereas solar panels are in the range of 15% to 30%. Thus solar cells continue to dominate this market.
Lots of information, most of it readable in Wikipedia under thermoelectric power, thermoelectricity and many related jump terms.
HAVE FUN
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "mkriley48" <mkriley48@...> wrote:
>
> wow that is way over my head. do you have any links to people actually doing it?
>
> --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "mkriley48" <mkriley48@> wrote:
> >
> > can you give some specifics or links?
> > mike
> >
> >
> > >>>Solar is a good choice
> > because a meter squared of collector area in clear skys is good
> > for 1000w of heat. When at rest solar can top the batteries. When
> > in motion any heat source will do including a stove top burner.
> > The system could be referred to as a solid state heat engine.
> >
Peltier Effect, Seebeck Effect and Thompson Effect Generators have been built and some combine the effects.
So far as I can tell efficiencies are in the range 5% to 10%, whereas solar panels are in the range of 15% to 30%. Thus solar cells continue to dominate this market.
Lots of information, most of it readable in Wikipedia under thermoelectric power, thermoelectricity and many related jump terms.
HAVE FUN
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "mkriley48" <mkriley48@...> wrote:
>
> wow that is way over my head. do you have any links to people actually doing it?
>
> --- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "mkriley48" <mkriley48@> wrote:
> >
> > can you give some specifics or links?
> > mike
> >
> >
> > >>>Solar is a good choice
> > because a meter squared of collector area in clear skys is good
> > for 1000w of heat. When at rest solar can top the batteries. When
> > in motion any heat source will do including a stove top burner.
> > The system could be referred to as a solid state heat engine.
> >
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