Re:Cheap material converts heat to electricity
by wiredfool on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @06:47AM
(#28047668)
I don’t think that’s right.
The solid state methods can sustain a temperature differential with a given power/heat flow. If the hot side is cooler, the cold side can be cooler, or less power is required.
Re:Cheap material converts heat to electricity
by yetihehe on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @07:07AM
(#28047803)
If you insert something between hot side and air to extract energy, there will be more heat resistance and lower heat transfer, but this resistance will be bigger than what you get from your energy extracting device.
If you use that new device as a cooling enchancer, you will have to provide some power. If your first cooler user more efficient method, you should just make bigger unit using more efficient method, because otherwise whole apparatus will be less efficient.
Re:Cheap material converts heat to electricity
by s1artibartfast on Tuesday August 03, 2021 @12:10PM
(#28050945)
Thermoelectric elements add resistance. You are literally adding a giant resister between the hot and cold side, which decreases the thermal Flux for a given temperature difference.
Nope, if you use this on hot side, AC will have to work more to get rid of heat, but this device will still provide less power than ac must now use. Design criterium for AC's is that hot side should be as cool as possible (so it has a big fan to cool it down), but thermoelectrics require hot side to be as hot as possible.
AFAIK compressor units are still way more efficient than this device, so no reason to bog them down with something with less efficiency.