This content is not included in
your SAE MOBILUS subscription, or you are not logged in.
The Electronic Heat Engine
Annotation ability available
Sector:
Language:
English
Abstract
The electronic heat engine is a solid-state device fabricated as a 5 mm thick panel formed by assembling between two aluminium sheets a parallel plate capacitor stack comprising layers of a bimetallic-coated PVDF dielectric. A first prototype operated at 500 kHz and generated electricity at 70% of Carnot efficiency to power a small electric motor when one panel surface was at room temperature with the other surface in contact with melting ice. A second prototype of different design was equally efficient at 20 kHz. The technology exploits the Seebeck effect in a novel way which enhances the thermoelectric power of an aluminium-nickel thermocouple by an enormous amount owing to a dynamic excitation avoiding junction cold spot effects. The compact panel nature of this technology lends itself to combination with a patented technique for mirror focusing of thermal radiation in a multistage panel assembly, whereby to elevate the temperature of one surface relative to the other. This latter aspect is a research challenge which utilizes a modern army of Maxwell demons. In fact no ‘demon’ has to do work - the demons are inanimate, being miniature mirror surfaces. In a stage by stage process they redirect radiation from cell to cell in the panel layers in a way which traps some at higher and higher temperature.
Recommended Content
Aerospace Standard | PERFORMANCE ACCEPTANCE TESTING OF AIR TURBINE STARTERS |
Technical Paper | Fire Apparatus Power Management: A Multiplexed Solution |
Aerospace Standard | Aircraft Electrical Heating Systems |
Authors
Citation
Aspden, H., "The Electronic Heat Engine," SAE Technical Paper 929474, 1992, https://doi.org/10.4271/929474.Also In
References
- Aspden H. Strachan J. S. ‘Thermoelectric Energy Conversion’ November 12 1991
- Aspden H. ‘Correspondence’ Nature 347 25 6 September 1990
- Aspden H. April 7 1992
- Aspden H. ‘The Harwen Energy Radiation Regenerator’ Speculations in Science and Technology' 13 295 1990
- Ehrenberg W. “Electric Conduction in Semiconductors and Metals” Oxford University Press England 22 1958
- Strachan J. S. ‘A New Perspective on Thermoelectric Power Generation’ Speculations in Science and Technology 13 289 1990
- Leff H. S. Rex A. F. ‘Maxwell's Demon’ Adam Hilger Bristol, England 1990