Talk:Johnson thermoelectric energy converter

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Technology

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References/General quality of article

Hey, I made this article this evening. I realise there's not a whole lot of content yet. And obviously i'm going to get some better references than the atlantic. If anybody wants to help out I'd appreciate it.Larryisgood (talk) 12:01, 21 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Workingsmart (talk) 02:54, 19 October 2010 (UTC) I found a great presentation on the PARC website. http://www.parc.com/event/713/high-efficiency-solid-state-engine.html It has a LOT more detailed information about the Jtec and it's capabilities. Particularly that the hydrogen containers are made of copper because it doesn't react with hydrogen in the oxygen free environment, the proton membrane is made of proprietary ceramics, and they are planning on marketing a 30-50kw solar power plant in 2014.[reply]

JasperCentaurus (talk) This article is very important and needs all due care in its development. Right now, the description of the cycle is incomplete. In particular, it is not clear how the isothermal compression stage occurs and even more important, how the hygrogen gets back to its original state on the high pressure side of the system. If the operating intent is to switch which end of the system is the hot end then that should be made clear and how it can be done. Besides the mysteries around completion of the cycle, concerns about the viability of this implementation include the electrostatic repulsion of the hydrogen passing through the membrane that works to counteract the pressure gradient, and the energy consumed by the ignition system required to ionize the hydrogen. Finally, readers wil want to know what prevents the hydrogren from recombining immediately after the ignition source ionizes the gas. I find it noteworthy that PARC is announcing a high power large scale system by 2014 when even a small scale working prototype apparently has not been made. Referencing documentation on the existence of a working prototype is important or the article should emphasize that this concept is a theoretical design. Moreover, this is an obvious candidate for patenting...if it ever works, so a patent reference would be good. A patent was issued to J. L. James (US Patent # 4,368,416) on an early (1983) similar concept for thermoionic-thermoelectric generator. Controversy surrounds that case because thatinventor was killed in an apparent accident by an assassin allegedly hired by the Petroleum Institute of America to prevent the generator from being commercialized. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.197.130.216 (talk) 22:15, 19 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"assuming a temperature gradient of 600C" is wrong, gradient units are deg/m, so temperature difference is the right expression.

All good points, I'll be working on this if I get a chance over the next few weeks. I'll remove the "new page" tag once i get some better references and elaborate on the ericsson cycle used.Larryisgood (talk) 12:01, 21 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Applications

One question that came up more than once in Reddit comments on the Atlantic article: is this invention only suitable for use in solar power installations, or could it be used e.g. in coal power plants as well? Would be good to have a reliable source answering this question.--greenrd (talk) 07:27, 19 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

It's powered by heat. Anything that generates heat can power it. 93.97.48.217 (talk) 11:36, 13 November 2010 (UTC)[reply]