[Graeme]

Energy Lost From Hot Engines Could Save Billions If Converted Into Electricity

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')nergy lost from hot engines could save billions of dollars if it could be captured and converted into electricity via thermoelectric devices, Clemson University physicist Terry Tritt told scientists gathered in Dallas for the world-renowned NanoTX ’07 conference.

“Thermoelectric generators are currently used in NASA’s deep-space probes to convert the heat of radioactive elements to electrical energy, powering these systems for over 30 years,” Tritt said. “Thermoelectric energy conversion is a solid-state technology that is environmentally friendly. One of the more promising ‘down-to-earth’ applications lies in waste-heat recovery in cars.”

Tritt said more than 60 percent of the energy that goes into an automotive combustion cycle is lost, primarily to waste heat through the exhaust or radiator system.

“Even at the current efficiencies of thermoelectric devices, 7 to 8 percent, more than 1.5 billion gallons of diesel could be saved each year in the U.S. if thermoelectric generators were used on the exhaust of heavy trucks. That translates into billions of dollars saved,” Tritt said.

[Zardoz]

Interesting idea. Think of the heat that's being wasted from all the ICE engines running. Just the heat radiating off a car engine after it's been pulled into a garage and shut off is amazing. It'll heat a garage right up on a very cold day.

[SolarDave]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', 'I')nteresting idea. Think of the heat that's being wasted from all the ICE engines running. Just the heat radiating off a car engine after it's been pulled into a garage and shut off is amazing. It'll heat a garage right up on a very cold day.

[nocar]

Cars are an amazingly inefficient use of scarce resources. First only 30% (at most) of the fuel energy is really used to for the forward motion of the car. Then typically 800-2000 kg of material has to be moved in order for one person, typically weighing 50-100 kg, to be transported. On top of that, cars need a very extensive infrastruction in the form of highways, parking lots, gas stations which take a lot of energy to build and require tremendous land areas that turn productive forests and fields (or sometimes human living space, i.e. neighborhoods) into asphalt fields which are biological deserts.

No energy-smart future is possible with a reliance on car-transport as a dominant transport mode.

Most of the fuel energy used by cars is lost in heat, that is correct. But it seems farfetched to attempt the reclaim that heat. It makes a lot more sense to replace the need for car transport with other transport modes or reduced mobility needs.

nocar

[Concerned]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '[')b]Energy Lost From Hot Engines Could Save Billions If Converted Into Electricity

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')nergy lost from hot engines could save billions of dollars if it could be captured and converted into electricity via thermoelectric devices, Clemson University physicist Terry Tritt told scientists gathered in Dallas for the world-renowned NanoTX ’07 conference.

“Thermoelectric generators are currently used in NASA’s deep-space probes to convert the heat of radioactive elements to electrical energy, powering these systems for over 30 years,” Tritt said. “Thermoelectric energy conversion is a solid-state technology that is environmentally friendly. One of the more promising ‘down-to-earth’ applications lies in waste-heat recovery in cars.”

Tritt said more than 60 percent of the energy that goes into an automotive combustion cycle is lost, primarily to waste heat through the exhaust or radiator system.

“Even at the current efficiencies of thermoelectric devices, 7 to 8 percent, more than 1.5 billion gallons of diesel could be saved each year in the U.S. if thermoelectric generators were used on the exhaust of heavy trucks. That translates into billions of dollars saved,” Tritt said.

[Tanada]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Graeme', '[')b]Energy Lost From Hot Engines Could Save Billions If Converted Into Electricity

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'E')nergy lost from hot engines could save billions of dollars if it could be captured and converted into electricity via thermoelectric devices, Clemson University physicist Terry Tritt told scientists gathered in Dallas for the world-renowned NanoTX ’07 conference.

“Thermoelectric generators are currently used in NASA’s deep-space probes to convert the heat of radioactive elements to electrical energy, powering these systems for over 30 years,” Tritt said. “Thermoelectric energy conversion is a solid-state technology that is environmentally friendly. One of the more promising ‘down-to-earth’ applications lies in waste-heat recovery in cars.”

Tritt said more than 60 percent of the energy that goes into an automotive combustion cycle is lost, primarily to waste heat through the exhaust or radiator system.

“Even at the current efficiencies of thermoelectric devices, 7 to 8 percent, more than 1.5 billion gallons of diesel could be saved each year in the U.S. if thermoelectric generators were used on the exhaust of heavy trucks. That translates into billions of dollars saved,” Tritt said.

[jbeckton]

A heat engine is inefficient by definition. Not big news. Research $ would be better spent developing EV's, they at least have several fuel sources.

[gnm]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jbeckton', 'A') heat engine is inefficient by definition. Not big news. Research $ would be better spent developing EV's, they at least have several fuel sources.