Author Topic: Thermoelectric generators  (Read 3603 times)

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Offline catsmtrods

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Thermoelectric generators
« on: March 13, 2011, 12:32:07 PM »
[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfQdd70B8IU[/youtube]

I'm not the sharpest tool in the shed but I am a thinker. Since I burn a wood stove 24/7 all winter long anyway. What do you folks that may be a bit more educated than me think of this? I can sure rig it up and fix it. Seems like a good idea to me?
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Offline Rick

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #1 on: March 13, 2011, 08:58:48 PM »
Power a light or two, don't think it would power a TV or computer. Run the fan in a heater, mmm maybe.

I like it, what is the cost?

Offline Thor

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #2 on: March 13, 2011, 10:55:35 PM »
Power a light or two, don't think it would power a TV or computer. Run the fan in a heater, mmm maybe.

I like it, what is the cost?

It MIGHT power a few LED bulbs or it might be enough to make the piezoelectric-electric igniter on a water heater fire off. 25 watts is hardly worth messing with.
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Offline LC EFA

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2011, 01:55:48 AM »
Matter of scale.

At the size displayed and BTU's of heat inputted it's a good school science project.

On a larger scale with a much larger heat source it might be viable.

Offline catsmtrods

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #4 on: March 14, 2011, 04:17:28 AM »
I was thinking more along the line of keeping a bank of deep cycle batterys charged and a power inverter you augt to be able to run lights an TV at night no? I run the tv and lights at hunting cabin with one charged battery.
« Last Edit: March 14, 2011, 04:38:43 AM by catsmtrods »
"Liberalism is an essentially feminine, submissive world view. Perhaps a better adjective than feminine is infantile. It is the world view of men who do not have the moral toughness, the spiritual strength to stand up and do single combat with life, who cannot adjust to the reality that the world is not a huge, pink-and-blue, padded nursery in which the lions lie down with the lambs and everyone lives happily ever after."


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"How many more times are we going to cower under tables and chairs, whimpering like mindless dogs, thinking that someone else has the responsibility to save and protect us?"

Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #5 on: March 14, 2011, 04:32:52 AM »
Ya know, there's a "biomass" electrical generator somewhere in the area around Fort Drum.  Not sure what it burns, whether it's garbage or wood (pretty sure it's the latter) or what the output is (I'll find out today), but I'll find out.  There was an article in USA Today about a year or so ago about biomass electrical power generation being renewable energy, and that the Southeast might be a good place for this kind of energy.
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Offline LC EFA

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #6 on: March 14, 2011, 04:48:15 AM »
Ya know, there's a "biomass" electrical generator somewhere in the area around Fort Drum.  Not sure what it burns, whether it's garbage or wood (pretty sure it's the latter) or what the output is (I'll find out today), but I'll find out.  There was an article in USA Today about a year or so ago about biomass electrical power generation being renewable energy, and that the Southeast might be a good place for this kind of energy.

I've read about several types of "biomass" plants - the type that is often referenced for small sale applications is a methane digestor - runs best on ruminant shit.

The plasma gasification plants are pretty neat but need a good source of heat.

Offline Thor

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #7 on: March 14, 2011, 05:39:16 AM »
Just saw an article on bio-mass plants on the History Channel last Friday. What they do is capture the methane from decaying garbage and use it for fuel for the plant. There's a huge plastic "tarp" as a liner in a pit, the garbage in thrown in and another plastic "tarp" on the top. The methane is scavenged from the top liner and sent to a storage tank for the generator fuel. One could do that in their own back yard with just bio-waste such as grass clippings, etc.

In all honesty, I used to drive by a waste dump near Rosemount, MN. back in 86-90 time frame. They had a stack coming from the ground over the garbage heap, burning off the methane. I used to think to myself, why not capture that methane and use it instead of simply burning it off?? Someone must have a like idea and actually put it to practical use.
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Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #8 on: March 14, 2011, 08:53:06 AM »
There used to be a garbage-burning electrical plant in the Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany.  Al Sharpton was one of the gang that got it shut down.  Said plant still produces all of the steam that is used in Biggs Lab under the Corning Tower in downtown Albany.

Thor, I've been inside a few of those generator stations.  Small footprint for the generator building.  But, this biomass plant actually does burn wood.
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Offline IassaFTots

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #9 on: March 14, 2011, 08:59:53 AM »
Just saw an article on bio-mass plants on the History Channel last Friday. What they do is capture the methane from decaying garbage and use it for fuel for the plant. There's a huge plastic "tarp" as a liner in a pit, the garbage in thrown in and another plastic "tarp" on the top. The methane is scavenged from the top liner and sent to a storage tank for the generator fuel. One could do that in their own back yard with just bio-waste such as grass clippings, etc.

In all honesty, I used to drive by a waste dump near Rosemount, MN. back in 86-90 time frame. They had a stack coming from the ground over the garbage heap, burning off the methane. I used to think to myself, why not capture that methane and use it instead of simply burning it off?? Someone must have a like idea and actually put it to practical use.

I believe that Denton does that.  I am pretty sure that is how they power their busses.
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Offline DefiantSix

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2011, 08:24:16 PM »
It MIGHT power a few LED bulbs or it might be enough to make the piezoelectric-electric igniter on a water heater fire off. 25 watts is hardly worth messing with.

1.75 to 2.1 amps at 12VDC is better than a lot of solar panels or wind turbines on the commercial market now are capable of.  Done right, that's a right decent trickle charger that doesn't give a shit whether the wind's blowing or the sun is shining.

He might be able to up the output if he just used the radiator unit as a heat exchanger and ran it to a basic steam turbine/generator, but this ain't bad for doing what he can with what he's got (I don't notice an abundance of small steam turbines lying around in scrap piles these days).
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Offline Thor

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Re: Thermoelectric generators
« Reply #11 on: March 15, 2011, 12:58:22 AM »
There used to be a garbage-burning electrical plant in the Arbor Hill neighborhood of Albany.  Al Sharpton was one of the gang that got it shut down.  Said plant still produces all of the steam that is used in Biggs Lab under the Corning Tower in downtown Albany.

Thor, I've been inside a few of those generator stations.  Small footprint for the generator building.  But, this biomass plant actually does burn wood.

BSS, they're actually quite common now. There's one in Elk River & Minneapolis, MN that burns just about everything. However, I don't think they wait for it to generate methane. They do have a fairly small footprint when compared to the coal burning plant in Becker, MN or the Nuke Plant in Monticello, MN.
"The state must declare the child to be the most precious treasure of the people. As long as the government is perceived as working for the benefit of the children, the people will happily endure almost any curtailment of liberty and almost any deprivation."- IBID

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"Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated."-Thomas Jefferson