In think you are very correct in this Lynx. What one could do with heat or the removal of heat or even the differential of heat and cold. Iv'e often thought about a differential temperature machine to produce energy, 6' in the ground verses 6' above ground. An example would be, in a very small way, in MV's, is that a thermocouple generates a voltage with two dissimilar metals or wires connected at one end, heating up this end causes a voltage to be generated at the other end. You can connect 10 or more of these thermocouple's in series to generate a higher voltage which would be called a thermopile. These are used in Nat. and LP gas valves to hold the pilot part of the gas valve open. The thermocouple being mounted so as to be held in the pilot flame. What happens is, when you hold the pilot valve in, you light the pilot, once the thermocouple is heated to the point that enough voltage is generated, this voltage is fed to a solenoid which creates a magnetic field, which in turn will hold the pilot valve open, at this point the main valve will come on because the pilot valve staying open also opens the main valve port. If the pilot were to go out for some reason, the pilot valve would close, because of no voltage or magnetic field being generated and being spring loaded to the closed position, would also shut down the main port of the valve.This is as a safety devise.This is also one way of senceing teperature in electronics. Oh well class 101 on gas pilots.:D:P
Thanks Jeff, I didn't know that about the Thermopile, much appreciated.
It's true that you need a difference in temperature in order to be able to get any
work done, much like that of an electric power source in that if you have 2 equal
potentials, that which are galvanically coupled to eachother (I.E common ground
for example), then you could basically short these 2 equal potentials together and
there would still be no current flowing between the 2, you'd need a difference
in potential in order to be able to get current flowing, or if you like, to get work
done.
What I've found so far is that thermoelectricity looks really promising in turning
waste heat, or basically just any kind of (difference in) heat into electricity.
Waste heat is basically found in all kinds of mechanical, moving or heat generating
application, whatever you have it.
In the case of home power generation you could basically do just as well in
applying a highly effective way of turning heat into electricity in the heat pump and
instead of having the heat pump heating up the water through the heat exchanger
you could let the electricity do the work of heating your house/water/etc using
electric radiators/heaters instead.
On a good day the COP of a standard heat pump is about 3, so if the effciency
grade of the device turning heat into electricity is fairly high, let's for arguments
sake say in the range of about 80%, then you would first get 3 times more heat
effect out of the heat pump compared to the electric effect you feed into in the
heat pump, after that you would then be left with 0.8 x 3 times of electric effect
out of the 'heat-to-electricity' device, which would leave you with a net electric
gain of 2.4, so in a 3 kW heat pump you would end up getting 7.2 kW of electric
effect out of it.
If you then first use 3 kW to power the heat pump, in order to make it self
sustaining, you would then be left with 4.2 kW at your disposal to do whatever you
want with it , for example heat up your house, keep your lights on, surf the
internet, bla bla bla.
:cool:
Hello Lynx,
Most happy to discuss, however at the moment its 2.30 after midnight over here so I will keep it short for first reply.
AMEN you have it in one.
We are currently going flat out for domestic use, trying to beat them by make your own electricity. Cheaper than what you can buy it for.
Ground heat above minus 10*C and theres no looking back.
The whole of Australia is now mapped urban geothermal below 100*C
At 100*C twenty coal burning power stations go.
The same technology wipes out oil.
The combustion engine is just an inefficient steam engine. With CO2 the efficiency comes back and costs drop through the floor.
The best compression and combustion of a Diesel engine gives 120 bar of drive force for a heat of 1200*C. CO2 does it for +40*C.
Talk soon.
Cheers Peter
Cheers Peter, you sure know about heat and cold downunda
:D