3 ms·
It's been considered, for a variety of heat sources. I'm long-term bullish on a related technology (thermophotovoltaics), although presently the efficiencies ar
by lambdatronics 4y ago
It's been considered, for a variety of heat sources. I'm long-term bullish on a related technology (thermophotovoltaics), although presently the efficiencies are not great & the compatibility with nuclear radiation is probably poor.
- pyinstallwoes 4y agoIt seems relatively accessible too, at least as a technology and conceptual model it shows a simplicity that allows the majority to get their hands on it and thus a potential for more growth and innovation. It’s interesting that it also allows refrigeration. If we could combine heating, refrigeration, with a configurable output of either end on top of it being a generator of voltage… is quite amazing.
- lambdatronics 4y agoThe power density is much higher than traditional photovoltaics (more in line with concentrating photovoltaic power), so in theory the cost should be low, although one probably needs more sophisticated cells to achieve reasonable efficiencies. On the other hand, since there are no moving parts, the temperature can be very high, which increases the maximum theoretical efficiency. (Carnot limit applies.) The major issues I can see are (1) achieving sufficient efficiency at a reasonable cost, by recycling the low-energy photons instead of absorbing them as heat (2) avoiding radiation damage to this sophisticated device - maybe this isn't too hard with a liquid salt heat exchanger?
- pyinstallwoes 4y agoWhat about mercury?