Converting Waste Heat to Electricity: An Assignment Exploration

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tormentor123
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As an assignment i need to figure out the most efficient way to convert heat to electricity and so i searched through the internet and came across Prof. Hagelstein's work which is called semiconductor technology. In short, the technology is based on the principle of thermionics by replacing a semiconductor instead of vacuum gap between the two parallel conducting plates. According to him this technology is more efficient as compared to the thermocouples and thermopiles and the operating temperature would range from 200-450 degrees C. I am dying to know the best fit semiconductor or other material to be used in this technology. Also I do not know the relationship between thermal conductivity and current production in solid state devices. Please help me, i need some references for my assignment and i m also open for other technologies for the same purpose (converting waste heat into electricity) that are both efficient and economical. i need a lot of input from those with the knowledge in this field. Thx a lot for reading !
 
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tormentor123 said:
As an assignment i need to figure out the most efficient way to convert heat to electricity and so i searched through the internet and came across Prof. Hagelstein's work which is called semiconductor technology. In short, the technology is based on the principle of thermionics by replacing a semiconductor instead of vacuum gap between the two parallel conducting plates. According to him this technology is more efficient as compared to the thermocouples and thermopiles and the operating temperature would range from 200-450 degrees C. I am dying to know the best fit semiconductor or other material to be used in this technology. Also I do not know the relationship between thermal conductivity and current production in solid state devices. Please help me, i need some references for my assignment and i m also open for other technologies for the same purpose (converting waste heat into electricity) that are both efficient and economical. i need a lot of input from those with the knowledge in this field. Thx a lot for reading !

When you are asking for something like this based on something you found, you must provide complete citation of your source. If you read this in a journal, you must give the full reference. If you found this on a website, assuming that it is a legitimate website (i.e. not a personal or crackpot website), then you must provide the url.

If not, we can only base this on what you understood, which may not necessarily be correct.

Zz.