Archive for category Thermoelectric

Thermopower Waves: MIT’s Invention That Could Change Batteries and Devices Forever

Posted by Ovidiu in Energy Storage, Thermoelectric on March 9, 2010

Thermopower waves are a phenomenon that happens when powerful waves of energy shoot through carbon nanotube wires, creating electricity. The researchers from MIT are responsible for this discovery, thus opening a new area of rare energy research.

carbon nanotube, carbon nanotube battery, mit, mit battery, mit invention, mit thermopower wave, nanotube battery, thermopower wave

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Japanese Thermoelectric Modules Aim Reaching Record of 11% Efficiency

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on February 5, 2010

A new test will be performed by Showa Denko on Feb. 15, 2010. The thermoelectric device is designed to be attached to the exhaust pipe of a car and supply electricity to the car’s air conditioner, thus improving the fuel mileage.

denko thermoelectric, japanese thermoelectric, showa denko, thermoelectric efficiency, thermoelectric module

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Highly Mismatched Alloys – Solution for Really Efficient Thermoelectrics

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on January 28, 2010

Thermoelectric devices convert heat into electricity, and are of great use in recovering wasted heat from thermal engines and transforming it into electricity, thus increasing the engine’s overall efficiency, mostly when used in hybrid cars, who have high capacity onboard batteries.

highly mismatched alloy, hma thermoelectric, seebeck thermoelectric, seebeck thermoelectric converter, Thermoelectric, thermoelectric efficiency, thermoelectric materials

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New MIT Thermoelectric Device Pushes Efficiency to Its Theoretical Limit

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on November 19, 2009

The Carnot Limit, calculated in the 19th century, demonstrates and sets the maximum efficiency that any device can achieve in converting heat into work. Theoretically and practically, you can’t go over that limit. So, the devices constructed up to now only get a tenth of Carnot’s limit.

heat into electricity, quantum dot, thermal diodes, Thermoelectric, thermoelectric converter, thermoelectric semiconductor

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GM to Research Shape Memory Alloy for Heat Recovery Systems

Posted by Cristi in Thermoelectric on November 9, 2009

GM’s R&D has to build a prototype of a thermo-mechanical waste heat recovery system using a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) heat engine to generate electricity from the heat in exhaust. Noticeable is the fact that GM was between the 37 other candidates that received the ARPA-E award.

actuator, arpa-e, Dynalloy Inc., electrical energy, Flexinol, general motors, gm, heat energy, heat recovery system, low-hysteresis SMA materials, mechanical energy, Shape Memory Alloy, SMA, SMA heat engine, thermo-mechanical engine, thermoelectric generator, thermomechanical waste heat recovery system, University of Michigan, US Department Of Energy

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Novotech’s System Generates Renewable Energy from Asphalt

Posted by Mike in Thermoelectric on October 27, 2009

Scientists at Novotech and two Massachusetts universities are working to create a new system that could channel heat from asphalt and other paving materials into clean and usable energy.

asphalt energy, asphalt power, clean energy, electricity, energy from asphalt, energy from heat, energy from heated pavement, environment, heat to energy, new source of energy, Novotech, renewable energy, thermocouple, urban heat island

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BMW Saves Fuel With Pipe-Mounted Radioactive Device

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on March 9, 2009

In a world that tries to save more and more of its resources, BMW wants to make use of the car’s heat to recover some of the energy lost by thermal means. It’s just that they understood this time by being green means putting a radioactive thermoelectric generator in the car’s tailpipe.

bmw, bmw heat recovery, bmw thermoelectric, efficient dynamics, engine heat, heat recovery system, nuclear thermoelectric, recover heat, tailpipe heat recovery

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VW Equipping Future Cars With Heat Recovery Systems

Posted by Ovidiu in Car industry, Thermoelectric on February 7, 2009

The International Thermoelectric Society website reported that Volkswagen showed a prototype vehicle equipped with a thermoelectric generator, recovering the dissipated heat energy and converting it into electricity. The prototype has been shown at the “Thermoelektrik – Eine Chance Für Die Atomobillindustrie?” meeting held in Berlin in October 2008.

heat energy recovery, heat recovery, thermal energy recovery, Thermoelectric, thermoelectric car, volkswagen, vw, vw heat recovery, vw thermoelectric

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New Thermoelectric Device Produces 5W/cm², Could Save Laptop Batteries

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on December 22, 2008

Netxtreme, a company providing thermal solutions, has come up with a thermoelectric evaluation kit, called eTEG UPF40 (embedded ThermoElectric Generator). It’s an interesting concept, because of its efficiency (greater than that of standard thermoelectric materials) at converting heat into electricity.

electricity from heat, eTEG seebeck, eTEG UPF40, heat to electricity, seebeck, seebeck converter, seebeck effect, seebeck thermoelectric converter, Thermoelectric, thermoelectric converter

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The Spin Seebeck Effect to Offer Low-Loss Thermoelectric Effect

Posted by Ovidiu in Thermoelectric on October 13, 2008

Eiji Saitoh experimented with a heated magnetized metal (nickel-iron), and found out that the electrons with up spins (aligned with the rod’s magnetic field) created an agglomeration on the hot side, while the ones with down spins (unaligned to the rod’s magnetic field), created an agglomeration on the cooler side.

Eiji Saitoh, electricity, heat, magnetic field, seebeck, spin seebeck, Thermoelectric

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