--- Frederick Sparber <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Mark Goldes' post on the "Power Chip" > http://www.powerchips.gi/
Many of us have followed this "Power Chip" thing for a long time, as the implicaions are enormous! but sadly seen no progress. I hope it is not vapor ware. It would be the only breakthrough which is necesary to push many marginal alternative energy process "over-the-top" but... as the cute little grandma sez, "where's the beef?" Speaking of vapor ware, Fred, is trying to double-capitalize on that! > conjures up visions of using the vapor of a heat > pipe to transfer electrons from a > conductive evaporator section past an > electrically-insulated mid-section to > an electrically conductive condensing section, with > the electrons returning > to the evaporator through an external load. > I don't know why I didn't think of this before. I do. Because it probably won't work ;-) At least not in that simple form. Transfering electrons is not enough... as there has to be some kind of voltage differential, or anisotropy, in the circuit - since the vapor is conductive both ways. The cold end soon reaches the potential of the hot end, as heat removal alone provides no lower potential on the cold end, and then the coloumb charge of the cold end stops further electron flow.... However (and Fred may have been thinking of this necessary step all along) providing two sets of TEC-diodes (or bi-metals) - one on either end (hot and cold) with the vapor circuit in the middle could possibly do better than two pairs of thermal-diodes joined without the vapor, as the heat system and the electrical system have greater seperation? I have never understood why "stacking" of TECs offers no greater advantage over a single diode but all the experts say that there is no advantage... however when the electric circuit and the heat circuit have some forced degree of seperation, as would be the case with a heat pipe, perhaps things are different and there is greater efficiency? If you could just push the heat-pipe up near the Carnot limit for the available heat-spread, it could double the output from about 8-10% to 15-20% and then such obvious things as capturing the enegy from the auto exhaust manifold, or the gas furnace, would make a big difference in lowering hydrocarbon use. Jones
