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> What's the advantage over direct thermoelectric conversion? Stirling engines can approach 50% efficiency [1], whereas thermocouples are usually less than 10%
by curtis 9y ago
> What's the advantage over direct thermoelectric conversion?
Stirling engines can approach 50% efficiency [1], whereas thermocouples are usually less than 10% [2].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stirling_engine
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_generator#Efficiency https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_generator#Effic...
- jessriedel 9y agoCool, thanks! It's really surprising to me that inserting a mechanical intermediary has such a large efficiency advantage.
- brians 9y agoWhy does mechanical stuff suck? Because of friction of moving parts. Too much energy is lost to heat. For a thermal engine, if you can arrange to put the moving parts mostly on the hot side, that’s no longer loss.