2006-12-25 17:58:32 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Engineering
Someone out there has probably tried it, but generating bulk electricity with the use of thermocouples would be very inefficient and not practical. Typical output voltages of most thermocouples are in the millivolts or at maximum one volt or so. Thermocouples cannot output a significant amount of current either. I imagine if you produced a very large thermocouple, let's say several feet in size, the output would be greater. However, producing these mega-thermocouples would be expensive, and you would still need thousands, if not millions of these thermocouples to produce any bulk electricity to support what is typically called the electric grid.
And yes, as the other guy stated, the heat produced by the boiler would essentially be severely wasted. With steam turbines in coal-fired power plants, for example, the heat produced by the burning of coal is transferred to super-heated steam. This steams is recirculated several times within a closed loop to squeeze as much heat as possibly out of the boiler. This heating/reheating cycle goes almost until the hot gasses exit out the stack. In turn, the flue gases become cooler and cooler, and the energy within is decreased and decreased. Where am I going with this you ask?!? Well, in a thermocouple design(assuming it really is possible), the energy in the flue gases would be wasted because there would be no reheating of the thermocouples. They essentially would heat up to the hottest point they could go, or the temperature of the flue gas, and remain there at that point.
Assuming we could develop some super-output thermocouple, this idea could only work, in my opinion, by solar energy. Solar energy is free, abundant, and nothing is wasted.
2006-12-25 23:19:15 · answer #1 · answered by JoeSalsa 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
there is a device than can transform thermal energy directly in electrical energy. Its made by semiconductors and it has 2 junctions. One is heated up the other one is cooled. In this way you can get electric power in the circuit. The efficiency is not too god but much more higher than a thermocouple has.
2006-12-26 10:07:09 · answer #2 · answered by eagle 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, the voltage and microamps generated in this way are too small to be useful in large way. Otherwise the waste heat from coal boilers would be used this way. TOo much expense for the micro quantities of power generated.
2006-12-25 18:06:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
no , they are mode to coll or heat not to generate power , it is the same as asking is anyone using his car to generate fuel ?
2006-12-25 20:19:47 · answer #4 · answered by gjmb1960 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋