Spreading the word

[OneShotAl]

Hello World!

 

reason for being here - a gleam in my fathers eye.

 

reason for checking out forums? sterling engines.

 

reason for passing on question - not enough resources to do work myself, looking for enterprising youths with time and energy, resouces, interested in doing the grunt work.

 

i have no lab as yet, but this question bugs me, so here it is:

 

 

so, if i place a peltier cooler on the bottom of a sterling engine running a small alternator to power the peltier cooler, what do i get?

 

anyone try this yet?

[CraigD]

so, if i place a peltier cooler on the bottom of a sterling engine running a small alternator to power the peltier cooler, what do i get?

A strange claim in the “perpetual motion machine” category? ;)

 

:thumbs_do Seriously, I can see no value to such a device. A heat engine has at best an efficiency of the Carnot efficiency, [math]1-\frac{T_{\mbox{cold sink}}}{T_{\mbox{hot sink}}}[/math]. Sterling engines and Peltier coolers are both heat engines. Sterling engines can in principle approach that efficiency, but practically rarely exceed 60% of it. Peltier coolers are typically about 5-10% Carnot efficient. Together, they’re a less plausible perpetual motion machine than simply connecting an electric motor to an electric generator – both of which commonly have efficiencies exceeding 95% - in the hope that the output power of the generator will be greater than that required by the motor. Neither scheme can possibly produce a “free energy” machine.

 

Here’s hoping you’re just testing our members to see that they understand this, not seriously proposing yet another perpetual motion machine design. :)

[OneShotAl]

wasn't testing anyone, was just curious as to has anyone tried it. i know that because of friction/degradation that it wouldn't work on the chalk board (i.e. perpetual motion), but am still curious. again, i am not trying to jerk your chains, nor am i an idiot. i'm just a guy knew to electrical engineering/physics and ignorant of the math, but with sincere desires to help solve the energy crisis which looms ahead of us.