New alloy converts heat directly to electricity.

[Giblet]

There are so many possibilities for a material like this it's hard to focus on one.
http://www.popsci.com/technology/articl ... lectricity

[horse]

That's exciting, isn't it? Imagine that stuff built around a steam turbine!

Nonetheless, the bottom line is king, and if the stuff is too expensive to make in large quantities it won't get anywhere. Article doesn't mention cost of production, I think.

[gridwalker]

Im just thinking of the possibilities of a combined ICE + Compound Turbo + KERS + Thermoelectric alloy heat converter drivetrain ... If anything is going to push up engine efficiency, THIS is it.

Imagine how much additional range could be added to a hybrid motor if the engine heat could be captured with this material? If this alloy can be made affordable, it could finally make hybrids capable of more than just a small efficiency saving under the right conditions.

The common argument for using exotic materials is that using the materials is essential for driving down manufacturing costs; if a high profile application of this material will increase public awareness and drive down costs in one go then F1 needs to leap onto this technology as soon as possible, just so it can demonstrate that it is really pioneering the application of technology that has real world relevance.

If F1 wants to hold itself up as a technological proving house, this is probably one of the best opportunities that it is going to get ...

[Giblet]

If I am reading this right, slapping some of this material on a hot surface like an exhaust makes it an electrode?

I'm also thinking about other mundane things like my laptop. The thing pumps out so much heat when in use, it could be literally pumped right back into the batteries.

A large steel plate on the road in the hot sun with this material on it, charge your car. Increase photovoltaic cells efficiency.

If this does what it says it does, it is kind of a big deal. Without numbers its hard to tell but they claim waste heat can generate 'large amounts' of electricity.

[DaveKillens]

After carefully reading this article a few times, it appears the title is very misleading. This new alloy does not posess the ability to convert heat into power, but instead it just changes from being non-magnetic to magnetic due to temperature changes.

So more than anything, it's a solid state switch activated by temperature.

Anyways, the thermocouple already is capable of converting heat directly into electricity, is cheap and reliable.

A thermocouple can produce current, which means it can be used to drive some processes directly, without the need for extra circuitry and power sources. For example, the power from a thermocouple can activate a valve when a temperature difference arises. The electrical energy generated by a thermocouple is converted from the heat which must be supplied to the hot side to maintain the electric potential. A continuous flow of heat is necessary because the current flowing through the thermocouple tends to cause the hot side to cool down and the cold side to heat up (the Peltier effect).

Thermocouples can be connected in series to form a thermopile, where all the hot junctions are exposed to a higher temperature and all the cold junctions to a lower temperature. The output is the sum of the voltages across the individual junctions, giving larger voltage and power output. Using the radioactive decay of transuranic elements as a heat source, this arrangement has been used to power spacecraft on missions too far from the Sun to use solar power.

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

[horse]

Hmmm, I'm reading it that it's the change in magnetic field strength which is producing the current in a surrounding coil. Which makes sense, I think. Question would be how to keep the material changing strength reliably. It reads like there is a switchover point that it needs to dip above and below (in a tight band, I guess). Imagine trying to do that at 50Hz.

[Caito]

Peltier!

[Pierce89]

Hmmm, I'm reading it that it's the change in magnetic field strength which is producing the current in a surrounding coil. Which makes sense, I think. Question would be how to keep the material changing strength reliably. It reads like there is a switchover point that it needs to dip above and below (in a tight band, I guess). Imagine trying to do that at 50Hz.

I got the impression that the sudden creation of a strong magnetic field caused the current, but that's beside the point. The potential is just ... Wow!!. Imagine the energy you could harvest with exhaust headers of this alloy!! Or line your KERS batteries! Or cover your transmission! From what I understood, this alloy could harvest electricity from any car part giving of heat! incredible!!

[Giblet]

Another type of device that makes massive waste heat is integrated circuits. A laptop that can turn it's heat back into power to be stored back in the battery. heat is one of the limiting factors for performance across the board in computers.

If the article is not just a garden path to nowhere, than this could be a paradigm shift in technology.

[gridwalker]

With regards to waste heat from conputers; have you heard about the new trend for building flats over data-centres so that the heat emitted by the server cooling systems can be used for domestic heating?

http://www.datacenterknowledge.com/arch ... ses-pools/

[Giblet]

I haven't, and considering I live in Canada and we have harsh winters, and also considering that my brother is an electrician and has worked on two of the largest data centers in the world, I'm quite surprised.

He was initially working on the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) datacenter, and has since moved on the RIM Datacenter. Fun fact, its named Goldeneye. Massive buildings. Massive power requirements.

Anyway, will ask him today when he pops in.

[gridwalker]

Back to the alloy; in line with the principle of conservation of energy, would the conversion process of heat > magnetism > electricity have some kind of cooling effect? You don't get something for nothing, so there must be some kind of reduction in overall heat output ... I don't have the education needed to make sense of the mechanics of how this would work, so any information would be appreciated

[Pierce89]

Back to the alloy; in line with the principle of conservation of energy, would the conversion process of heat > magnetism > electricity have some kind of cooling effect? You don't get something for nothing, so there must be some kind of reduction in overall heat output ... I don't have the education needed to make sense of the mechanics of how this would work, so any information would be appreciated

Yes. For the heat to become current, it would have a cooling effect. It's like you said the conservation of energy.

[Giblet]

This also ties in very closely with superconductivity.

They have yet to make a room temperature superconductor. Since heat can be extracted/converted to electricity, a material could be made to be a superconductor by cooling it enough to be viable.

Essentially a ground for heat.

[mx_tifoso]

While not being as fancy as this "new alloy", BMW is testing turbosteamers and thermoelectric generators to also convert heat into electricity.

BMW Turbosteamer and Thermoelectric Generator Projects Aim to Harness Heat Energy - Bimmerpost

... I can't wait to see all of this employed on production models.