TECs, Peltier

[slapstick]

Has anyone ever used a TECs to make power, If so please share... I need all the help I can get on this subject:)

[Bruce S]

Google is your friend 
Use the search tab on here, you should find a post that could be of a massive amount of info/help.
Remember these products are built for a different use and so are VERY low in what you are attempting.
IT is doable, just not as efficient as you may think
Best of Luck!!
Bruce S

[Frank S]

just remember search engines are only as good as the key words entered The search here does not do well abbreviations 

[XeonPony]

That and they are actualy called Peltier juntions or just peltier chip.

https://www.google.ca/search?num=100&hl=en&safe=off&site=&source=hp&q=Peltier+heat+generator&oq=Peltier+heat+generator&aq=f&aqi=g-K1g-bK1&aql=&gs_l=hp.3..0i30j0i8i30.1546.8969.0.9161.24.21.0.3.3.0.1052.3755.0j8j2j1j0j1j0j1.13.0...0.0.sk4z4FSXFow

[Frank S]

I can see them being used to recover some energy from wasted heat providing there was a source of cold next to the heat source .but  since  I am not up on the factors of recoverable power versus the cost of the set up and @ what rate of recovery could be expected for a return on investment.
 Maybe a solar array over a cold flowing stream or small river.
 

[mab]

for info on using them the 'other way around'  it might be best to google 'seebeck effect'.

In my limited experience, it's difficult to get useful power out of them - unless you just want a very small amount of power - I've heard that they are used on oil pipelines to power sensors (using the temp difference between pipe & ambient), but I don't have any more info.

[slapstick]

Thank everyone for the help!
 I will do my homework and make something happen.
Its just that everything I have seen in Google search that has been build ...... well if you ask me it was all half ass done.
But maybe that's all its worth doing. I know that the hardest thing to make is the temperature differential on the hot side. My heater runs at 150C so there is the heat, now for the cold side. I was thinking of a tank in the ground pumping around the heat sink if it was needed to make the delta T.   With my heater running at 100 watts @ 300F and the outside air @ around 30F in the winter to 80 in the summer. That's a Delta T range between 270F and 220. Using this setup the TEC/TEC  should be around at lest 10% to 20% efficient. I will be setting up 4x 400 watt TECs... Well I guess we will just have to see what I come up with.

[Bruce S]

That would be a very nice Delta/t.
There was a gent on here a few eyars back that did a very good job of even taking it so far as to using an old 1Meter dish to raise the heat side, since the "upgrade" I have not been able to find much of the older stuff.
Best of Luck, keep us tuned in:)

[slapstick]

Will do
Like always thank you all for the help and feed back.

[ghurd]

Be advised that they have a life expectancy based on the number of cycles.

Powering a mini-fan on a wood/coal stove somewhere cold may only be a couple cycles a month (north slope?).
Other situations may be a few dozen cycles a day (my car's catalitic converter).
G-

[Junkie]

I have built a few little thermoelectric generators. There's some info on my website about them My latest one is shown below!

Quote from my website :
"This strange looking pan is a device to generate power from a low temperature heat source. By using the seebeck effect, it is able to produce enough electricity to charge a cell phone and other USB devices. The best part about this contraption is that it has no moving parts.

The device has a nimh power pack which stores electrical energy for use whenever you need it, the power pack can be detached for use anywhere. The output is 5V through a USB port. This device would work especially well were there is snow available for extra cooling – for example off grid cabins in remote (snowy!) locations. The bigger the temperature difference between the two sides of the peltier the bigger the power output. "

From www.scraptopower.co.uk