TPV Generator

Found an interesting product. Thought I might share.

http://jxcrystals.com/drupal/node/2

Neal

American Recover & Reinvestment Act 1.5 Millon dollars, no jobs created. I will pass on being a investor this time. A few of the ideas seems legit but it seems the entire company has gone nowhere. I do like the space mirrors though, you can fry your enemies like ants with a magnifying glass.

if they can come up with a little more wattage then it would conceivably be possible to fire a stoker and run a pump or fan during a power outage. Flyer lets get on that, stoker man too... I could use it right now!

Waldo

Yeah, so that's what I was thinking...to somehow retrofir this idea to a coal stove and get more wattage out of it to power the blowers.

I'm gonna do a little research..I have time..lol

NPT

I gotta believe that 100w is enough to run a combustion fan, no? Stoker and blower definitely not...I think? ntp not npt

....according to the website they are..."Working on improvements in performance and size has led to the most recent system design, a 1.5KWe Combined Heat and Power system that will provide all of the space heat, hot water and electricity for a single family home"

Here is another link to a book by Dr. Fraas developer of the of the GaSb Cells and TPV Generator.

http://www.amazon.com/Affordable-Solar- ... 0974853003

Neal

I always thought the bomb would be self contained home generation, but I always thought it would be built around some mini nuc thing.

If the unit absorbs radiant energy to generate electricity then that electricity is not free as stated. It's no more free than the domestic hot water generated by a conventional boiler.

If the unit generates electricity by absorbing heat that would normally go up the chimney then it really does no more than increased heat exchange area would do.

If it can generate electricity at lower cost than the utility then it would be worthwhile.

I don't disagree that the electricity made is not free because you would be using the stove to heat your house, however the upside is not only are you heating your house you are also generating electricity while doing so, and as you said heating your water, which can be done now.

Imagine if this technology could be added to your coal stove, and the electricity generated by it could run all of your motors (Combustion, Convection, Feed). Then if there was a power outage you would not have to worry about running a generator to keep your heat going.

The technology of the GaSb cells sounds promising, and seems to be a better alternative to Photovoltaic. The initial TPV generator produces 100W of power at 25,000Btu, but they have been experimenting with a 1.5kW TPV generator as stated on their website. I do not own a coal stove company, however if I did I would be looking into utilizing this technology in my stoves if I did.

If I decide to continue pursuing my Engineering degree this is something that I would seriously consider as part of my senior project. The cost of each cell is $50, mounted is $300, and it seems a minimum purchase is $2000. That is a little out of my price range for experimenting.

Just my thoughts.

Neal

I can imagine some applications but they have a long way to go to be practical.

The claim of free electricity puts up a red flag on a company site that pretends objectivity.

franco b wrote:The claim of free electricity puts up a red flag on a company site that pretends objectivity.

Again, I agree. However, JX Crystals makes no such claim on their website. What they say is..

Our Midnight Sun Stove® was the very first commercial TPV product, demonstrating the basic TPV concept - generating heat and electricity from combustion energy - in a familiar product configuration.

As well as...

This system will heat the home and generate enough electricity to power the home at rates competitive with the electric power grid. The driving force for micro-cogenerators will be fuel efficiency. While the fuel to electric efficiency in a central power plant may be 30%, 70% of the fuel energy is wasted. Meanwhile, a micro-cogenerator will use 90% of the fuel energy for on-site heat and electricity.

I

If you look at the practicality of this it is dismal.

At 25,000 btu/hr you are producing 7326.8 watts and the output is only 100 watts,

your losing 7226 watts. 1.4% efficiency even solar cells have better efficiency.




BigBarney

100 Watts is the prototype...a 1.5kWe is in the works.

At 25,000 btu/hr you are producing 7326.8 watts and the output is only 100 watts, your losing 7226 watts. 1.4% efficiency even solar cells have better efficiency.

I would counter that you are gaining 1.5kWe....where before you had ZERO electrical gain.

1.5kWe is 1500 kilowatts produced at 25,000btu per hour. This is 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the 6 months you are running your stove.

Solar is only available during daylight, and is not as effective during the winter.

BigBarney wrote:If you look at the practicality of this it is dismal.

At 25,000 btu/hr you are producing 7326.8 watts and the output is only 100 watts,

your losing 7226 watts. 1.4% efficiency even solar cells have better efficiency.




BigBarney

Not losing any watts, you still used the balance to heat the space. The 100 watts is just a bonus.
The part I'm not clear on...is it 100 watts per 25,000/hr. or is it 100 watts per hr.? It would make a huge difference.

To get 1.5kw/h you would have to be able to convert ~25% of the 25,000 btu/hr to electrical energy

which is a huge increase. If converted you no longer have 25,000 btu/hr for heating,for round #'s

you have 20,000 btu's if the full 25% were converted.Its one or the other not both.

I agree that the 90% is divided 1.4% electric and the balance as heat, 24650 heat and

350 to electric.


BigBarney