Thermionic Generator

[matt090290]

I am not an expert in this field but I have read an article about devices that can produce electricity from a heat source. My question is this would this Tech be able to be incorporated into an F1 cars MGU-H? using the exhaust coated in a single layer of graphene as the Hot Plate? I might be talking plain madness but I think there could be gains to be made in this area seeing as the transfer of energy from the MGU-H to MGU-K is unlimited.

Please discuss or laugh at my complete lack of technical knowledge either is fine.

[Zynerji]

If you could, the brake calipers would also be a great place to draw from!!

[livinglikethathuh]

These devices generate electricity from heat flowing through them. Conversely, when a current is applied to them, they generate a heat flux. They are used in micro refrigerators.
This is a "juice worth the squeeze" thing, the devices are (as they stand) quite inefficient and they generate low voltage DC, which needs to be put through an inverter, its voltage increased, then converted back to DC and fed into the battery for example.

If this tech is applied to exhaust for example,

Exhaust temp: 400 C
Ambient temp: 30 C
Surface area of exhaust pipe: 0.3 m^2
Heat transmittance of graphene+exhaust pipe: 10 W/m^2*K
Heat flux through exhaust pipe= 1110 W
A device with 10% efficiency (not bad) will harvest 111 W.
Worth it? Don't think so.

Values are guesstimated, please retry with better values and then shoot my post down.

[Greg Locock]

https://www.technologyreview.com/s/4240 ... aste-heat/

In particular thermionic generators are pretty inefficient, but if your incoming energy is 'free' then efficiency is not a good measure of whether the system is woth having. I'd use something like energy recovered per lap divided by mass.

[godlameroso]

What if the electricity is used to energize the wing in this fashion
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ml2-dVgIkwc