Thermal converters convert thermal energy into electrical energy using the Seebeck effect. They differ from heat engines as they have no moving parts and are smaller. They can be used to increase fuel efficiency and generate electricity for space probes, but their efficiency is limited unless the voltage is increased significantly. Research is being done to improve their generative capacity.
A thermal converter, also known as a thermocouple converter or thermoelectric generator, is an electronic device capable of converting thermal energy into electrical energy. While there are different types of thermal converters, they are all based on the Seebeck effect. The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which temperature differences can be exploited to generate an electric current. It was first discovered by Thomas Johann Seebeck in 1826, when he observed that two dissimilar metals can generate an electric charge as long as the connection points of the two metals are at different temperatures. It has since been discovered that the thermoelectric effect generated by these circumstances increases with the difference in temperature.
A common misconception is that a heat converter is the same thing as a heat engine. A heat engine converts temperature differences into mechanical power, while a heat converter converts temperature differences directly into electrical energy. Also, while heat engines are often more efficient than heat converters, heat converters may be preferable in some situations as they are smaller and more compact than most heat engines. The key difference between thermal converters and heat engines is that, unlike most generators, a thermal converter generally has no moving parts, except for a possible cooling fan.
Thermal converters can be applied to different situations. As well as being used to replace heat engines, research is also being done to exploit the use of waste heat from combustion engines, such as those used in automobiles and aeroplanes. If this can be done, the fuel efficiency of these machines could be increased by a fairly large amount. Thermal converters are also used in long-range space probes to generate a constant source of electrical energy.
However, there are some problems with using the thermal converter. For example, converters usually produce only 5-10% efficiency unless the voltage is increased significantly. To create power large enough for the heat converter to rival the efficiency of a combustion engine, it is necessary to increase the number of dissimilar elements used to generate the electric current. The end result is that the thermal converter eventually becomes too large to be efficient. Research is being done, however, to increase the generative capacity of thermal converters, so over time these temperature differences can be exploited more efficiently without making them so large that they lose their effectiveness.
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