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Author Topic: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity  (Read 25470 times)

Pontifex

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Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« on: November 24, 2006, 05:27:33 PM »
Utah company claims to have invented and patented a "solid state energy conversion/generation chip" that will convert heat directly into electricity or alternatively refrigerate down to -200 degrees Celsius when electricity is applied:

Quote
ENECO is a U.S. company that has developed a breakthrough in energy conversion.  Its Thermal Chip - a new type of semiconductor - can efficiently and cost effectively convert heat into electricity, leading to substantial energy savings and a reduction in harmful emissions.

The Thermal Chip is in some respects similar to a fuel cell, but a fuel cell converts the chemical energy of a fuel to electricity whereas a Thermal Chip converts heat energy to electricity.  Its energy density (a measure of power production for a given weight or size) is 5 times better than current lithium-ion-batteries and 2-4 times better than future micro fuel cell capabilities projected for 2010. The Company has broad protection from a spread of US and international patents.  The Thermal Chip has the following key characteristics:

Energy density efficiencies far in excess of all other available technologies
Reduced weight and size to fit with the new portable power needs of consumer electronics
Semiconductor technology that allows for efficient manufacturing, high reliability, long life, and low maintenance
Ability to convert waste heat economically and directly into electric power without moving parts to wear or make noise
Readily scaleable from very small to very large applications without losing efficiency or cost effectiveness

Given the above, there is a real opportunity for ENECO?s technology to become the ?standard? across industry for direct energy conversion products and components.  ENECO?s business strategy, subject to funding, includes the following key steps:

Complete the final design and engineering tasks necessary to deliver product samples to customers
Serve the existing thermoelectric market ($250m pa) with replacement products or licensed technology, depending on customer requirements
Develop and sell a family of high value, small-scale products in markets where performance rather than cost is the key driver.  Such markets span electronics, telecoms, aerospace, and security, and run to several billion dollars annually
Seek joint ventures and strategic partnerships to serve the very large mature markets in transportation, power generation, residential heating and cooling.  Such markets present a unique global opportunity, which will take time to exploit, but where market size is many billions of dollars annually

The Company has already undertaken contracts for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the U.S. Navy, and the National Science Foundation with support from US Magnesium Corp.  A number of leading organizations and companies are negotiating with ENECO to develop products specific for their requirements.

http://www.eneco.com
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:Eneco_power_chip

Greetz, Pontifex

PaulLowrance

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #1 on: November 24, 2006, 05:47:51 PM »
Yes, the power chip will be great when it comes out. Note the Power Chip requires a temperature difference. So you need a hot and cold source.


Regards,
Paul Lowrance

SEFBOB1

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #2 on: November 24, 2006, 07:52:36 PM »
   The way that I read it, it only needed a heat source to produce electricity or an electrical sorce to produce heat. In fact it produced heat more efficiently then the other way around.

Paul-R

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2006, 03:42:30 PM »
Can we be sure this isn't "peltier" in a new package?
Paul.

PaulLowrance

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2006, 04:05:22 PM »
Hi Paul-R,

I've been following the Power Chip for awhile. Here's the power chip website:

http://www.powerchips.gi


SEFBOB1,
The chip requires a heat source *relative* to room temperature.


Regards,
Paul Lowrance

lltfdaniel1

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2006, 04:40:07 PM »
i wonder if that could be turned into a self powering design , like use Fluorescent heater, or a hybrid system like a 98% and this to push it over 100%?

lltfdaniel1

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2006, 04:41:18 PM »
Or put that in cold water when its winter out side,if it can also convert cold into electric?

PaulLowrance

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2006, 04:44:29 PM »
A nice chunk of ice placed underneath the chip and the other side of the chip facing the Sun should generate some really good electrical power. :)


Paul Lowrance


sypherios

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #9 on: February 21, 2007, 09:49:19 PM »
This amkes me think that someone could grab a magnifying glass and concentrate the sun to get electricity. I wonder if this would be more effective than solar used in this manner. Guys this is some cool tech. wow!

Super God

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2007, 05:02:40 AM »
Wow, we could but a refridgerant in one side and nothing on the other, bingo.  It would work even in alaska if we got a refridgerant with low enough temeprature.

ksmarke

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #11 on: March 11, 2011, 09:44:25 PM »
How should I keep the cold sink cold?  ???
Does anyone know if this chip may be used with solar panels? If so, what should I do with the excess heat?

CompuTutor

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #12 on: March 12, 2011, 05:01:02 PM »
A few good points are brought up here.

They are basically a peltier junction idea that has a thermal seperator between them
to tame the losses that occur with current peltier devices reducing their efficiency dramatically.


The electrons must now traverse the junction through a nano layer via thermionic emission instead.

So the side your trying to keep cold by removing energy from it,
requires far less maintained energy transfer to keep it so.

Or the side your trying to introduce energy to instead, to recycle said energy,
wastes far less of it via thermal conduction to the cooler side.

Nice idea really...

Think about the curent solar panel color and the intense heat going to waste from them,
this could salvage that waste energy if what they report on the website is true.

Either way, we are surrounded with potential thermal differences in many forms daily,
but the thermal loss across a standard Peltier device tends to want to destroy that potential difference.

Thought about in the opposite direction,
Peltiers have a basic plotted curve of maximum potential difference from one side of the junction to the other
due to this same thermal coupling issue inherent in the Peltier's design.

By breaking that link like this,
I would suspect that absurd potential differences in temperature could be achieved with an applied voltage/current.

I have written them directly about a few points not covered,
like are the two working surfaces also electrically conductive as well as thermally conductive.

20-Amps is wonderful (per square centimemter),
but at a single junction's voltage of about a half a volt nominal,
it will need to be arrayed in series-connected block arrays
to be of any practical application value with todays electronic and electromotive devices.

Currently, insulators need to be used with peltier's to eliminate them from shorting out
when mounted on conductive surfaces like aluminum heatsink material and connected in series arrays.

That adds to the loss of using them to an additional large degree too.

Basic Overview:
http://www.powerchips.gi/technology/overview.shtml


« Last Edit: March 12, 2011, 05:23:39 PM by CompuTutor »

Qwert

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Re: Chip that converts thermal energy straight to electricity
« Reply #13 on: March 12, 2011, 09:02:57 PM »
Here is another one: UNCLASSIFIED. See attachment.