For all of the modern man’s time, our world has been slowly degrading with our use of crude oils and combustion. The expanding rate of our ecological footprint has been rapidly increasing year after year. Scientists proposed a solution to this problem by discovering new methods of renewable energy that comes with little to no environmental consequence. Whether it is powered by wind, solar rays, or water, we have found new processes that create usable electricity without the pollution and ozone damage that fossil fuels entail. Yet, one method of renewable and clean energy has been left in the dust, this method being thermoelectric power. Over thirty years ago, researchers were franticly exploring this uncharted method, and attempted to create a large variety of ways to utilize it properly. After they exhausted every theory, the field of thermodynamics was declared dead (Wu, 1997). It lie to collect dust and live to only a fraction of its potential. Now, it has been recently rediscovered, and the possibilities of this new source are endless.
In a society that uses such a vast variety of devices and appliances that create waste heat, it would only be practical to create a way to use this excess as energy. Researchers are meticulously working to use thermoelectricity in cars, refrigerators, and boilers, all with the power of excess heat. They envision a world that does not have excess, and in its place, has a recycling closed system. While some scientists are adamant about the wonders that thermoelectricity hold, others question its environmental integrity, and whether the efficiency is great enough to even bother implementing. But, the underlying question still exists, is
thermoelectricity a feasible alternative to energy fr...
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Gadolinium and its performance were limited by the use of passive regenerators and heat exchangers in the refrigeration cycle [25]. So, a magnetic refrigeration device must utilize a regenerative process to produce a large enough temperature span to be useful for refrigeration purposes [26].
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good emitter of heat radiation so a lot of heat will be lost to the
Thermal power, wind, Hydel and solar energy are the main sources for generating electricity. With the passage of time, the consumption of electricity has increased proportionately with the increase in the world’s population. Due to decline in global economic situations, that includes inflation, unemployment, corruption and other contributing factors have made electricity expensive and unaffordable for the consumers of third world countries. The production cost and the supply cost have increased, and as a result many electricity generation projects stand pending. With the passage of time, conservation of energy has become a core issue for the world.
direct conversion of heat into electric energy, or vice versa. The term is generally restricted to the irreversible conversion of electricity into heat described by the English physicist James P. Joule and to three reversible effects named for Seebeck, Peltier, and Thomson, their respective discoverers. According to Joule’s law, a conductor carrying a current generates heat at a rate proportional to the product of the resistance (R) of the conductor and the square of the current (I). The German physicist Thomas J. Seebeck discovered in the 1820s that if a closed loop is formed by joining the ends of two strips of dissimilar metals and the two junctions of the metals are at different temperatures, an electromotive force, or voltage, arises that is proportional to the temperature difference between the junctions. A circuit of this type is called a thermocouple; a number of thermocouples connected in series is called a thermopile. In 1834 the French physicist Jean C. A. Peltier discovered an effect inverse to the Seebeck effect: If a current passes through a thermocouple, the temperature of one junction increases and the temperature of the other decreases, so that heat is transferred from one junction to the other. The rate of heat transfer is proportional to the current and the direction of transfer is reversed if the current is reversed. The Scottish scientist William Thomson (later Lord Kelvin) discovered in 1854 that if a temperature difference exists between any two points of a current-carrying conductor, heat is either evolved or absorbed depending upon the material. (This heat is not the same as Joule heat, or I2R heat, which is always evolved.) If heat is absorbed by such a circuit, then heat may be evolved if the direction of the current or of the temperature gradient is reversed.
Although the world may never be able to fulfill all of its energy needs through renewable energy sources, it is a goal worth trying to achieve. And people are working toward that goal. Many advances in the field of wind generated power have been made in recent years, and research efforts continue to press forward on numerous other alternative energy fronts.
One new alternative energy source that is not getting as much recognition as it should is piezoelectricity. The concept behind piezoelectricity will be examined at a greater length later on in this report. Basically the main concept behind piezoelectricity is compressing a piezo ceramic which will in turn produce a static voltage which we could
harness your own energy for heat or electricity, you first have to face the facts
The voltage signal produced by the thermocouple can be converted to electrical signal in many ways. One way to do this is by using a power serials polynomial. The coefficients in the power series are known for each thermocouple type and using the thermocouple output voltage, temperature can be calculated. 6
Cengel, Y. A., & Boles, M. A. (2011). Thermodynamics: An engineering approach (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.¬¬¬¬
Change in the resistance of a PTC thermistor can be brought about either by a change in the ambient temperature or internally by self-heating resulting from current flowing through the device.
Global heating and cooling has occurred on a cycle for millennia, however in the past thirty years the increased use of energy and fuels by humans has drastically changed this natural occurrence (Juerg, 2007). The largest cause of this warming is the release of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide levels are twenty-five percent higher than they were in 1957 (UCS, 2013). This seemingly insignificant change has caused a myriad of negative effects. The endangerment of species, rising of sea levels, and increased natural disasters are just a few examples of change brought about by global warming (Juerg, 2007). Even though global climate change presents a massive problem there are many proposed solutions to fix or delay it. These theories range from creating a giant sun shield in space to the simple practice of “reduce, reuse, and recycle” (Gray, 2009). However the most effective solution is to find different sources of fuel to power our day to day lives. The earth is in need of renewable, effective, and long lasting fuels. Global warming can be slowed through the use of renewable energy as it is versatile, clean, a good investment, and can easily be put into place in several different climates and environments.
of energy and the potential threat of global warming, the change from fuel to electricity must
The thermoelectric effect refers to phenomena by which either a temperature difference creates an electric potential or an electric potential creates a temperature difference. Conversion between electrical and thermal energy is possible because of two important thermoelectric effects: Seebeck effect (converting temperature to current) and Peltier effect (converting current to temperature). Direct conversion of thermal and electric energy means that the thermoelectric devices are often more reliable than traditional mechanic devices and suffer less wear. Thermoelectric devices have a much lower efficiency than traditions devices. While all materials have a nonzero thermoelectric effect, in most materials it is too small to be useful. However, low-cost materials that have a sufficiently strong thermoelectric effect (other required properties) could be used in application including power generation and
Over the past decades, geologists and scientists alike have determined that the Earth is running out of non-renewable resources, particularly those resources that provide us with energy that fuels our world’s economies, jobs, and most importantly our daily lives. Without this energy, whole countries can collapse, and the human race would struggle to survive. Therefore, it is safe to assume that we as a nation are entirely dependent on energy, or the ability to do work (Gale Science in Context). Consequently, we are now actively searching for more cost efficient and useful forms of energy to replace those we currently use. By doing this we will be helping the earth by reducing carbon emissions and cutting down on air and water pollutants. This may ultimately prolong the life of our planet, and save money and resources while doing so.