Posted on 05/27/2011 12:06:51 PM PDT by Red Badger
New thermoelectric materials will be tested in BMW, Ford, and Chevrolet vehicles by the end of summer.
At least two-thirds of the energy in gasoline used in cars and trucks is wasted as heat. Thermoelectrics, semiconductor materials that convert heat into electricity, could capture this waste heat, reducing the fuel needs of the vehicle and improving fuel economy by at least 5 percent. But the low efficiency and high cost of existing thermoelectric materials has kept such devices from becoming practical in vehicles.
Now researchers are assembling the first prototype thermoelectric generators for tests in commercial cars and SUVs. The devices are a culmination of several advances made independently at thermoelectric device-maker BSST in Irwindale, California, and at General Motors Global R&D in Warren, Michigan. Both companies plan to install and test their prototypes by the end of the summer—BSST in BMW and Ford cars, and GM in a Chevrolet SUV.
BSST is using new materials. Bismuth telluride, a common thermoelectric, contains expensive tellurium and works at temperatures of only up to 250 °C, whereas thermoelectric generators can reach 500 °C. So BSST is using another family of thermoelectrics—blends of hafnium and zirconium—that work well at high temperatures. This has increased the generator efficiency by about 40 percent.
At GM, researchers are assembling a final prototype based on a promising new class of thermoelectrics called skutterudites, which are cheaper than tellurides and perform better at high temperatures. The company's computer models show that in its Chevrolet Suburban test vehicle, this device could generate 350 watts, improving fuel economy by 3 percent.
Fabricating skutterudites, which are cobalt arsenide compounds that are doped with rare earth elements such as ytterbium, is a time-consuming, complicated process, and incorporating them into devices is difficult, says GM scientist Gregory Meisner. The crucial challenge is making good electrical and thermal contacts. The large temperature gradient across the device puts mechanical stress on the contact-thermoelectric interface. Plus, joining the different materials introduces resistance that heats up the contact, degrading the device. "By a suitable choice of materials, you can affect resistance," he says. "The challenge is in arriving at the right formula for materials—both the semiconductor thermoelectric and the contact."
That sounds like a ski resort that serves bad food.
That too!
Can hardly wait to put a 2-ton Cogen plant where my alternator used to go on my half-ton truck.
Source -- though I'll grant that the temperature is much lower than at the exhaust. But the cooling system offers a more efficient gatherer of heat from the engine, than just gathering heat from the exhaust.
Depends on the goal, obviously. If you're just trying to use the combustion heat more efficiently, that's a different story.
I think use of heat pipes works well in that environment, though.
Then we can mount a cooling tower in the back, make chilled water and hot water for an air handler and control everything with pneumatic controls.
Looked at one, loved it.... but closest dealer is in Lubbock TX .....about 170 miles from me. Not a good thang for warranty work.
Love diesel, have 2 cummins doooges.....need a higher mpg commuter rig.
Thanks for yer time !
Ten pounds wrapped around the catalytic converter would do.
I can see the sticker on the back of the car now.
'CAUTION..Do not place mouth on exhaust pipe or inhale the fumes.
Especially children under 12 and pregnant women.
Sometimes the are, sometimes they are not. It depends of where you buy the skutter. If you have a good source, usually on the black market, you can get the price down.
Grant magnet
I think the trick to fuel economy is in aerodynamics and weight reduction. Thermocouples are interesting and i definitely approve of the R&D but when it gets right down to it, if you build a lighter more aerodynamic car, you will get better gas mileage. Much better. Case in point, my 400 hp corvette gets 28-30 MPG on the highway because it is light weight and extremely aerodynamic. If that big old V8 were replaced by a 150 hp inline four cylinder that weighed a hundred + pounds less, and the ginormous tires were replaced by standard economy car tires that weigh half as much, and the transmission were downgraded by another hundred pounds, I imagine I would be getting around 40+ mpg at 60 mph.
They could just put a steam boiler out back in a trailer to power the electric motors.(sarcasm off)
I think you could build a real “flux capacitor” that would press oil out of organic material, use the oil in a(bio)diesel engine and save the pressed organic material for heating and cooling your home. That would be a lot cheaper and less expensive. We could call it “grass and go”. It would sure help the american farmer, as they could produce any oil bearing seeds and save on fertilizer and water.
This makes me wonder if developements in this type of technology may modify/improve the energy contributions of something as simple as wood stoves. Jotul ought to be at least examining this.
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