Author Topic: Thermo-couples useful for hot/cold and diversion loads?  (Read 1424 times)

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joe4324

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Thermo-couples useful for hot/cold and diversion loads?
« on: January 10, 2010, 01:08:54 AM »
Several years ago (2003???) I posted a few thermo-couple threads here.  I think those where in reference to any kind of useful power-generation being possible with them in a solar application and I think the answer was no,  I needed a very large temp delta to make anything close to usable power.  Does anyone know if this has changed? I can find 600W @12v thermo-couples for $15 on ebay,  maybe I should put one on my 48" solar concentrator with a heat-sink and just see what happens.


BUT thats not the point of this thread,  Using that same 600W peltier (thermo-couple)  Or using a few of them in series if needed, is it possible to get enough effeciency

to get some real work done in a diversion load situation? Or even just straight up powering it?


600 watts of hot/cold or I guess you could of think of it as 300 watts of heat and 300 of cold in 100% efficient/dissipative environment.   If I had a use for the heat AND the coolth (I love that word) How do they stack up compared to a normal resistive heating element and a traditional compressor?


I've been envisioning constructing a funky apparatus that was a small cooler/refrigerator on one side (using perhaps some aluminum plates on bottom and sides to dissipate the cold into the box/food) the thermo-couple mounted in between and some type of a heat-pipe to send the heat from the hot side into a water chamber.


I know the quality of design would have a huge impact on how well it worked,  but if its a diversion load, hey its 'free',  If it really does work,  why not actually put this into the mix of day to day life.  a timer could control the duty cycle to the thermo-couple to control the power drain to keep it under control.  


I used to use these a lot in computing,  and its amazing what they can do,  this is back when a 120W was the biggest you could imagine, and they could make icicles and burn you at the same time, I can't imagine 600watts....


What do you think?

« Last Edit: January 10, 2010, 01:08:54 AM by (unknown) »