So what is wrong with the Wikipedia article? What I mean is that regardless of how efficient the thermophotovoltaic is there is no other way for heat-energy to escape the enclosure except as IR-light converted to electricity. With this forced arrangement how can electricity generation be anything except 100 %?
There is no Carnot cycle since energy flows from one end to the other. There is no cycle involved. David David Jonsson, Sweden, +46703000370 On Sun, Jan 27, 2013 at 9:31 PM, Jones Beene <[email protected]> wrote: > David,**** > > ** ** > > You are possibly misreading this article. It is poorly written to begin > with.**** > > ** ** > > Carnot efficiency affects all heat engines in a similar way. **** > > ** ** > > Moreover, it is a basic limitation which deducts “off the top” so all > other inefficiencies deduct from the lower number.**** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* David Jonsson **** > > ** ** > > Hi > > I have imagined using thermophotovoltaics to produce a highly efficient > conversion from heat to electricity.**** > > Imagine having a heat source in a very thermally well insulated container. > In the same container there is a thermophotovoltaic cell converting the > heat radiation into electricity.**** > > Wouldn't a cell like that be very efficient? What stops it from being 100 > % efficient, or having its efficiency reduced only by leaks in the thermal > insulation?**** > > Even if the Carnot efficiency > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermophotovoltaic#Efficiency**** > > is low it doesn't affect the total efficiency. The emitter will always be > hotter than the converter, since the converter converts some of the heat > radiation. There will always be some efficiency. Increase of dark current, > as Wikipedia mentions as a reason for efficiency decrease at higher > temperature, should be the same in both directions in the converter and > could not lower efficiency.**** > > Either efficiency could be higher or the explanations of the efficiency > lowering effects are wrong.**** > > ** ** > > Best would be to build a device and see what will happen. **** > > ** ** > > David**** > > ** ** >
