heat to electricity

[Grumpy]

Does anyone know of any interesting devices that convert a thermal gradient to electricity?  kW output range that is.

[BEP]

Thermonuclear explosion?
Other than that, indefinite time?

This will give you an idea why I've been dissecting very large Selenium surge suppressors.

http://www.sam-tetec.com/company/publications/ECT2005/PaperECT2005-SAM.pdf

Selenium wafers work quite well. I have some .040" thick and .95" in diameter. The hard part killing me now, is how to keep heat conduction flow channeled and perpendicular to the intended current flow. Without channeling and right angles the output drops off tremendously.

[Phantasm]

this is rated for 25kw

http://www.stirlingenergy.com/

using this to run a generator

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine

Which would still be applicable if you could collect waste heat from your project

[wings]

Does anyone know of any interesting devices that convert a thermal gradient to electricity?  kW output range that is.

direct conversion of heat into electricity at 60-70% of Carnot efficiency - VARMARAF

?

http://users.erols.com/iri/EnewsJan21,2003.htm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2352853.stm
http://www.powerchips.gi/press/IGC_Paper_15Sept03.pdf
http://www.powerchips.gi/press/pr_030303.shtml

[ion]

Thanks for the info on Powerchips

maybe this info can be moved to OUR "Heat To electrical Power Conversion" topic

[Grumpy]

Thanks to everyone.  What I am looking for is the "no one can talk about it" stuff.  Rumor has it that they have had this since the late 1940's or early 1950's. 

[wings]

An Experiment Against the Second Law of Thermodynamics
http://arxiv.org/ftp/physics/papers/0311/0311104.pdf

Another Way to Realize Maxwell' s Demon
http://arxiv.org/ftp/physics/papers/0509/0509111.pdf

Lockheed Corporation - Boyd B. Bushman - Thermally energized electrical power source
http://www.google.com/patents/about?id=wOUhAAAAEBAJ&dq=Boyd+Bushman

[BEP]

Thanks to everyone.  What I am looking for is the "no one can talk about it" stuff.  Rumor has it that they have had this since the late 1940's or early 1950's. 

I'm not sure if this relates, as opening the box had pretty severe penalties, but my 'battery' for my portable direction finding and radio-fingerprinting set only weighed about a pound. I know it worked 16-24 hours a day in an attic located in lush and tropical Vladivostok. When done, we always turned it in. One visit was about 6 weeks. A battery charger wasn't part of the package.

I didn't give a rat's behind then(mid to late 70's).
Now, I could shoot myself for not peeking.....

And another war story from WW!  Geesh! What an imagination!!!