There are certain use cases they make sense but I agree those are very far and few between at this point. Specifically, I think we will probably see them in the ‘wearable’ electronics which are typically very low power. But even NASA is looking at several other technologies because of the low efficiency.
I see usefull use case for TEG as power source for your wood gasification boiler, like the Czech one Atmos. Fan and pump are devices of tens of watt consumption and 1kWh LiFePO battery is able to provide enough power for start and load balancing. Than your heating system will not depend on any other source of power than ourself.
But of course using a wood-to-heat energy system would benefit greatly able to electrical generate and power itself.
As an engineered package system like the ATMOS or the Super-Stove fellow was promoting then the designer/manufacturer would be able to control the working conditions of a TEG sub-system.
AND it would need solid-state cells able to truly withstand a true real continuous 200C temperature differential. Not the mearly 100C maximum listed us common mortals can currently buy.
Here is anther approach to utilizing a rejected out energy, then put to good electrical generation:
Ion Flow Generating
Back in up thru 2010 I was still subscribed and obligated to read at least six Automotive trades journals a month.
BMW car company was leaking out, hinting they were developing for their cars engine exhaust flow electrical charging systems. They said they were able to get 1000 watts. But they needed at least 2500 watts for a modern cars needs to then eliminate an engine driven alternator/dynamo.
How were they doing this?
TEG’s?? Maybe. I doubt this. They of course were keeping the how very closely guarded. It may have been even a slick lead-their-competition’s-astray campaign.
Search up for this and now you will fine nothing.
But surely got me into thinking . . . how would I do this??
What in auto services work I learned all too well is that old engine coolant becomes acidic. This eats and leaches all of the metallic in contact thoghout the whole system. The heated pumped forced coolants flows now metallic ions doped will set up an electrical potential. This voltage climbs higher and higher. So instead of testing coolants for lost buffering - gone corrosive acetic testing. I, and other masters were beginning using voltmeters from the dipped in coolant reservoirs to the battery negative terminal. For sure change out that coolant when the Ionic-Flow potentials were getting towards .250 volts.
As much the acidic it was having turned you pumped coolant into metals traversing medium that was eating pinholes into car heater cores. A super expensive d=deatials difficult repair.
So you wanna’ DYI experiment with no moving parts electrical generations develop the use of the hot flowing engines exhaust flows.
I am pretty sure with a metallic salting/doping of the engines hot exhaust stream electrical power could be generated.
Search up papers and articles on “Ionic Flow Generation”.
Nothing you could buy a use as of yet. But fertile ground for the must-keep-feeding-the-brain types among us.
S.U.
The high temp Bi-Te modules are like 5 bucks each.
BMW was just going to use TEGs in it exhaust system of their hybrids. What i heard was it was an issue with cracking of ceramics along with the additional cost of adding them. You don’t just need the teg, you need the heatsinks and additional wiring. so it was like 500 more dollars in additional cost, and they broke after a while or so they said. And at the end of the day, they still needed the alternator/generator.
There is nothing new under the sun:
Build your own durable TEG with a bunch of these:
Each one is 0.75 volts, 1.5 to 4.5 ohms, 700-750 C. Take the optimistic 1.5 ohms and I think you get 0.09375 watt from one. Buy the ten and get 3.75 volts at 0.25 amps; 0.9375 watts. Scale it up until you’re out of money .
edit: new numbers, maybe the right ones this time, I hope.
There are a few things that are ‘new’ but I don’t think actual products yet.
The first is TEGs on stretchy material for wearables.
There is harvesting heat energy from electromagnetic radiation. basically radio antennas tuned to heat waves. The issue with this is diodes aren’t fast enough. But there are some recent breakthroughs that could help with that but nothing that will be cost effective in the short term.
Then there is the JTEC device that uses hydrogen in a carnot cycle. This probably works but might be more hype then a good product.
Made a batch of charcoal yesterday
Nice to sit and watch the fire going on.
Warm and cosy.
Using waste heat to dry some wood that has been under the snow.
Pyrolyzis gas temperature.
Here it runs on pyrolyzis gas only, temperature shows the exothermic reaction has started, i really like Kristijans word for it: Supernova
![:smiley: :smiley:](http://forum.driveonwood.com/images/emoji/google/smiley.png?v=12)
Baked some tar also Goran?
Well, actually no, because this oven heats from the bottom, and the gasses leaves from the top, very little tar can be scavenged, about 0,5 liter/ batch.
I’ve planned to cool the gas with water to get some more, but haven’t found a pipe i can fit outside the gas pipe.
aluminum foil tape will probably work to make a reducer to fit a pipe you do have. They make a flame retardant aluminum foil tape. it is only like 8 bucks a roll here so even if it is one time use, it isn’t going to break the bank and it should hold most of the smoke.
Good tip, i know about that tape, i use it alot, they should re-name it woodgas-tape, i think
But what i meant is i need a bigger pipe for a “pipe-in-a-pipe” gas cooler, i have a plastic one that would fit over the gas pipe, but that would need i always have water in the cooler.
Got. use anti-freeze, a radiator and a circulator pump. All which don’t have to work that great. Then you don’t have to worry about it freezing.
The other way is to run the gas directly into water bucket but then it collects the water and makes it harder to separate.
It’s amazing how these chickens can eat worms, bugs, grass, and turn it into very nice food.
OK so I know the video is not very relevant to woodgas but I’m trying to learn to use the phone camera , upload to YouTube and then do the typing on my laptop so mainly practicing with this
It was a pretty good video to be honest. With the the exception, you didn’t show the golden eggs, your chickens obviously lay once in a while that prevents your right hip pain.
It works pretty well for turpentine, actually. Separates like essential oils do.
It entirely depends on if the fractions you are trying to recover are miscible with water.
My 2 hens just came back online last week after a very untimely molt in the snow, happy to have eggs rolling in again
Apparently they work on ‘red light’ for triggering egg laying, Adding more hours of red light is supposed to keep them producing.
I was researching that the other day for my kid.
Our power went out yesterday, so the gasifier came to the rescue. It takes longer to get the generator going, but I find the engine runs much smoother than on gasoline. It was the first longer run with a new configuration and instrumentation. It ran for 2 1/2 hours with no issues before power was restored. Some day I will do a run to determine how long it can go without user intervention.
The top line of the display shows termperatures (degF) at various points along the flow path.
From left to right: outlet of gasifier, exit of radiator, exit of rock bucket/filter, exit of preheat radiator, exit of carburetor to head.
At the end of the run, the gasifier outlet temperature has risen significantly, but the radiator and rock bucket have kept it in check. I wonder if there will be a plateau or if the temperature will keep rising. I will track this on the long run.
I find that the generator is causing a flickering of my lights. It seems maybe at the same hz as the power supply although I can’t be certain. I wonder if anyone else has this issue? I’m thinking it might be the generator brushes?
How many amps where you drawing? Are they led lights?