Stephen A. Lawrence <sa...@pobox.com> wrote:
> So if they need some electricity to control it, why don't they use the > output to run a generator, and close the loop? At 10:1, they ought to be > able to turn the heat output into enough electricity to drive the thing with > a good bit left over. > Designing or purchasing a heat engine for this would be expensive and time consuming. In the first round of installations it makes more sense to use AC power for the control current And at that point they'd be off the grid, and they'd be completely shut of > the old "Well are you *sure* it's OU?" question. And wouldn't *that* make > a whizzy demo! > It would make a great demo, and I would love to see it, but anyone not convinced by 0.4 kW in and 12 kW out will not be convinced by anything. At this stage, engineering a heat engine just to close the loop would be a distraction. If the control current were 1000 times smaller than the output, you could use thermoelectric chips which require little engineering and work over a broad range of temperature. The Russians have some for camping and remote villages, which can be used with burning wood. In the U.S. there are some for small yachts which use burning natural gas, I think. - Jed
