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donpatent
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I have my eye on a couple of developments which hold some promise. One involves CNTs and comes from Sang H. Choi of Langley Research Center:
http://www.nasatech.com/Briefs/Mar03/LAR16222.html
The other comes from Boeing and involves a gap of one nanometer between electrodes to encourage electron tunneling:
Link to Boeing development
With oil barrelling upward beyond US$50/barrel, we need a Manhattan Project of sorts to overcome this impediment to progress and our collective well being, IMO.
CNTs and one nanometer gaps - two attributes that I think NNPP could handle real well.
We shall see!
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EKennel
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Donpatent,
I also have been following work on electron cooling and heating, which depends on the same physics as electron emission for displays. Oddly, in the other NNPP thread, I had mentioned that Thermoelectron Inc had become a Fortune 500 company, but had never developed the thermionic converter that they had originally set out to commercialize some 40 years ago. But the Boeing patent you kindly called to our attention seems to be actually a variant of a thermionic converter! What goes around, comes around I guess. BTW, Gary Fitzpatrick of Space Power Inc (since bought up by Pratt and Whitney) had championed a similar small-gap converter idea for a while in the US, as well as Rafail Ya. Kucherov at the Luch Institute in Podolsk, Russia. |
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donpatent
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One other company worth mentioning is Borealis Technical which has been into this thermionic tunneling for CoolChips and PowerChips for a good while now with no commercial offering yet.
I searched to see how widespread the interest is in this thermionic stuff and found but one source of note titled - Novel Thermophotovoltaic Device for Direct Heat to Electricity Conversion
Status, Plans, Connections to NASA's Mission and Vision and to the Space Architect's Capability Requirements:
http://www.macrovu.com/image/PVT/NASA/RPC/uc%3DThermoVoltaic.v3.pdf
So, the government through NASA seem to be carrying the ball - but this Boeing development may be THE one that goes commercial. Finally!
I've heard nothing in the news media about this Boeing development - I even emailed an article writer for Boeing asking for more info - all to no avail, so far. I do get so excited when I see something like this which can have such a large and important impact on our power hungry lives. Then I wait and wait and wait to ultimate disappointment. Maybe this time....
One other company I must mention, as well, since they tried and failed - I never heard of it on the market - was GE. Here is one of their patents on the subject:
USP 3,176,164 Beggs. It can best be accessed here -
5 patents altogether including US 3,176,164
And one more thermionic participant - ENECO with Dr. Yan Kucherov and Prof. Peter Hagelstein:
http://www.eneco-usa.com/default.htm |
Edited by - donpatent on 10/12/2004 18:21:40 |
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EKennel
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Hello Donpatent,
It turns out that Yan Kucherov is Rafail Kucherov's son. So the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. ENECO is an intellectual property house, basically.
Thermophotovoltaics is far different than thermionics. Basically, TPV deals with photocells, i.e., like solar cells, except that they convert infrared (thermal) photons rather than optical. The Beggs stuff from GE is before my time. Beggs was a contemporary of George Hatsopoulos who started Thermoelectron Corporation. Other heavy hitters were Rasor Associates, General Atomics, Space Power Inc and Xerox (which eventually became Loral EOS and has since been purchased by another aerospace corporation, but I forget which).
I don't know much about Borealis, other than they have been working with Boeing for a while, and are interested in electron emission physics and devices. |
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donpatent
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| I think that the sun as a source of radiant heat - rather than just photons - can be used to provide the thermal energy to a thermionic conversion chip. I want my next car to be powered by a Boeing Thermal Unit (BTU) Engine! Whether the heat comes from a fuel supply on board or the sun shinning above matters not. Boeing and most of the rest you mentioned seem to have been involved because of the energy needs of SPACE craft. That's the high end of the market. Where the BIG money will be made, IMO, is here on earth from every energy source be it waste heat, solar, or fuel conversion - all providing an electric power supply for everything imaginable. First space, though, then the military, as usual, then US! |
Edited by - donpatent on 10/13/2004 08:01:05 |
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donpatent
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| I am truly amazed! Not one word from Boeing, or anyone else. If this device that Boeing has developed and is in the process of patenting works efficiently and is reproducible reliably and easily using semiconductor production techniques it could well revolutionize our lives insofar as energy consumption and the means we now use to power things...like cars for instance. No IC engine, just an assembly of these Boeing chips, heated on one side and converting that energy directly to electricity for use in powering electric motors. And the sun too could supply the heat! Or waste energy. I keep looking and will continue to do so, but it does make me wonder...why the silence? It's no secret! It's published for all to read! Of course the patent publications are not the popular press that's for sure. Maybe I'll contact The New York Times...or go one better and contact Josh Wolfe. But Boeing...big...what impact could this have on them? It could be their making! 'They used to make planes sonny', the grandad ex Boeing employee says to his grandson...'back in 2004.' And where does NNPP enter this picture? ASAP! How? I'm not sure! But a 1nm gap is involved and NNPP knows nms! 'Nano', after all, is part of their name. |
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EKennel
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"If this device that Boeing has developed and is in the process of patenting works efficiently and is reproducible reliably and easily using semiconductor production techniques it could well revolutionize our lives insofar as energy consumption and the means we now use to power things" Well maybe it doesn't. It's only the first patent, and might very well be based only on the preliminary idea. They may well have filed based on the first concept. If you look at the drawings, they are very crude. I don't get an impression that the device has been built yet, do you?
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donpatent
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| In fact I actually do get the impression it has been built. I found the specification quite far from a bare bones concept and quite detailed in how the device would be made - in fact I thought it looked close to the point of production. Funny how the same document effected us in exactly opposite ways - poles apart! If, in fact, there are wrinkles to be ironed out that require further inventive steps to solve we could well have to wait. But it didn't strike me that ANYTHING more was required. They had the semiconductor steps all well laid out with every step set forth to make the individual electrodes on wafers, join them solidly face to face, then zap them with enough current to effect the 1nm gap. Somebody at BA thought it was worthy of filing. We shall see how it goes, eventually. So far, from what I have seen - NOTHING - it could be nothing more than a great big dud. OTOH.....!!!!! |
Edited by - donpatent on 11/06/2004 20:42:44 |
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donpatent
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This thermoelectric refrigerator/electric power generator could be big and important for home/car air conditioning, kitchen refrigerators, and refrigeration purposes generally and the use of waste heat and solar energy or any heat source in generating electricity.
From Penn State University, by the look of it.
How does one get on board? Unknown. However it bears watching and follow-up, IMHO.
From the patent filing in the USPTO:
********************************************************************
NALIN KUMAR, United States Patent Application 20050016575 (LIKELY PENN STATE)
January 27, 2005, Priority Date June 13, 2003
Field emission based thermoelectric device
..........
What we claim as our invention is:
1. A device comprising an assembly containing a thermoelectric device and one or more other devices where these other devices act as electrically conducting but thermally insulating elements.
2. A device of claim 1, where the electrically conducting but thermally insulating elements are field emission devices.
..........
The tips can be made from either metals such as molybdenum, tungsten, nickel and copper, from semiconductors such as silicon, gallium arsenide and gemanium, or from other materials such as graphite, diamond, carbon nanotubes, or from a combination thereof.
...........
[0044] When silicon tips are used, it is possible to obtain large emitted electron current density from these tips at an electric field of 0.5 MV/m (megavolts per meter). Using a device gap of 100 nm and a modest emitted current density of 1 ampere per square cm, we obtain a cooling capacity of almost 1 watt per square cm. Since the applied voltage is only 0.05 volts, the efficiency is almost 95% of the Carnot efficiency. This is much higher than 5-10% for prior art thermoelectric coolers and 40-50% for the mechanical coolers.
*******************************************************************
Link to US 20050016575
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FP...
Link to RB message 1
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=BOREF&read=8321
Link to RB message 2 re Penn State involvement
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=NNPP&read=9534 |
Edited by - donpatent on 01/28/2005 15:44:38 |
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donpatent
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PSU/KUMAR/UHV TECHNOLOGIES INC/NNPP
KUMAR's inventive material used in the PSU work
Link to Kumar USP 5,399,238 (Assigned to NNPP)
Link to Kumar USP 5,312,514 (Assigned to NNPP)
A Highly Efficient Thermoelectric Cryocooler
Nalin Kumar, UHV Technologies, Inc.
Link to SBIR grant to UHV Technologies
http://www.winmda.com/scripts/asp/abstract.asp?log=0469&Phase=1&Ph1Yr=99&firm_id=2928&int=99
Emissive and Cooling Properties of Carbon Based Materials for Microelectronics
N. M. Miskovsky, P. H. Cutler, A. Mayera, and Peter B. Lerner
Department of Physics 104 Davey Laboratory The Pennsylvania State University University Park, PA 16802
ABSTRACT
Among carbon-based materials, diamond and nanotubes exhibit field emission characteristics, which can be very
useful for applications.
Link to paper
http://www.fundp.ac.be/~amayer/paper38.pdf
Link to RB message
http://ragingbull.lycos.com/mboard/boards.cgi?board=NNPP&read=9542
Starting small, thinking big
City-funded incubator aims to foster new technology firms
Higgs also ran into Nalin Kumar, president of UHV Technologies in New Jersey, while giving a speech on small-business innovation research. Higgs persuaded the molecular biologist to relocate to Tech Fort Worth. Kumar's small operation had already received a $1 million Defense Department contract to continue development
of its nanotechnology.
Link to newspaper article on UHV Technologies relocating to Fort Worth dated Jul. 19, 2004
http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/9189009.htm |
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erich
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Dear Folks,
After seing this I sent a post to Rodney Cox president of Borealis http://www.powerchips.gi/ I also asked him about Boeing's patent,and he did not reply to that.
You should read this speech given by Rodney Cox to IBM, it will give you a chuckle, shades of "too cheap to meter" http://www.borealis.gi/press/NEW-GOLDEN-AGE-IBM.Speech.6=04.pdf
"Dear Mr. Cox,
Were you aware of this patent application? Does it conflict with your device?
View topic - 95 percent Carnot Efficiency--Is it a Joke...
Regards,
Erich J. Knight"
And his reply:
"Erich
We know Kumar very well. He is using tips that may be 1 micron across.
He is trying very hard to work around out patents.
His device is not an 8" wafer or even a 1 cm2 wafer
He is probably 95% of Carnot at the ends of the tips he is using.
The geometry is very interesting-I suppose he is 5% of carnot for maybe 5 to 10% of the surface area if he is very lucky and very clever.
IMMHO Kumar's device just does not cut it.
rtc"
And when I got home today, he called!! So now I'm getting my ducks in a row so when I call him back he won't think I'm an idiot. So if you look over his technology, and have any questions or comments that you would like to see addressed, please email me. Or, please send this on to anyone you know in the field who could provide any comments or questions. I'm so antsy, this guy is president of a multi
million dollar corporation, and I want to get it right.
I got into this doing nano-tech research, discovering and investing in Borealis. Their other technology includes Chorus Motors, an electric drive that overcomes harmonic drag, and produces 300% greater torque at an equal load. They just recently got a contract from Boeing for in the hub motors for airliner ground propulsion. And of course Power Chips and Cool Chips.
Erich
erich |
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donpatent
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erich, ask RTC if and when his chip will be on sale - try to nail him down on THAT! I bet he will say 'soon'. 'Real soon', 'just around the corner' even. But it is always so. I've given up waiting. I think it is just too difficult to make the thing work commercially. Tell him, as I do and have, that the best way to invest in Borealis or Chorus or any of the others is to wait till they actually sell something. Then invest based on the sales generated.
JMHHO. |
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dnwpiv
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ERICH,
Ask RTC how POWERCHIPS compares to iCurie Labs cooling technology.
Thanks----DNWPIV
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donpatent
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erich - there is another interesting development of late that you should be aware of. It comes from RTI and the newly established company is called Nextreme Thermal Solutions.
Here are my notes (You can access these here with all the links working):
RTI - Rama Venkatasubramanian - Nextreme Thermal Solutions
Breakthroughs in Thermoelectrics
Link to article on Rama Venkatasubramanian
Link to article on Breakthroughs in Thermoelectrics
Link to article on Cold Cathode Emitters
Link to RB message
email address:rama@rti.org
Cool Operator
Interview by Karen Auguston Field
Design News
June 16, 2003
Link to interview
Superlattice Thermoelectric Technology - February 18, 2004
Link to pdf file
More efficient and reliable refrigerators and air conditioners a step closer to reality - March, 2003
Link to article
Nano-structured Thermoelectric Materials Nano-structured Thermoelectric Materials
8th Diesel Engine Emissions Reduction Conference
Loews Coronado Bay Resort
San Diego, CA
August 25, 2002
Link to PDF PowerPoint file
Superlattices Chill Hot Processors
By Henry S. Kenyon
Tiny heat pumps offer rapid cooling for electronics, fiber optics.
Re commercialization
Supported by DARPA and ONR funding, the institute has developed several prototype devices to prove the technology works, Venkatasubramanian says. One technology demonstrator built by RTI scientists allows a user to observe a temperature drop or increase when he or she presses a switch or reverses the current. The prototype can generate a cooling of 32 degrees Celsius at room temperature. Beyond this example, the institute is moving quickly to develop the technology for use in existing devices. Solid-state cooling/heating systems for fiber optics and wafer-scale cooling for microchips are the alloy’s most immediate applications. Venkatasubramanian predicts that RTI may have a product ready within a year.
Because RTI is a nonprofit research organization, it is spinning off a company to make commercial prototypes. This new firm will conduct prototype fabrication runs and develop a manufacturing plan for producing large volumes of thermoelectric devices. He notes that some 35 companies are interested in the technology.
Link to article
nanoElectronics & Photonics Forum Conference
Full Day Event - Palo Alto, CA - April 15, 2004
Link to Forum Conference
Thin-film thermoelectric devices with
high room-temperature figures of merit
Link to PDF file
US PATENTS
6,300,150
Link
6,505,468
Link
6,662,570
Link
6,722,140
Link
Nextreme Thermal Solutions
Nextreme Thermal Solutions Raises $8 Million in Series A Financing
RTI International spin-off to commercialize breakthrough thermoelectric material
Link to Nextreme
Link to PR
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Edited by - donpatent on 02/21/2005 07:34:16 |
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erich
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Hey Dnwpiv:After reviewing icurie I sent this to RTC:
At 08:28 AM 2/22/2005, Shengar@aol.com wrote:
"Dear Rodney:
I plan to call you in a few days, as soon as I correlate the Questions I have gathered. However this link ,I felt you should be aware of:
Nano Tsunami.com - Nano Electronics in depth
They seem closer to market than Cool Chips, but I thought their technology may offer synergies with yours, why dump the heat when one can use it.
Talk to ya soon
Erich"
"Erich
Sure we are aware of the technology.
The handling of fluids in mirochannels is not easy.
For now we are definitely amused.
rtc"
erich |
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erich
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Hey Folks.
Here's a reply I got from a google-nano site:
Greg_Bal...@hotmail.com Feb 22, 8:24 pm show options
Newsgroups: sci.nanotech
From: Greg_Bal...@hotmail.com - Find messages by this author
Date: 23 Feb 2005 04:24:30 GMT
Local: Tues, Feb 22 2005 8:24 pm
Subject: Re: Quantum Tunneling Thermoelectric Dispute
Reply | Reply to Author | Forward | Print | Individual Message | Show original | Report Abuse
Erich,
I would be cautious, I've spoken to mr. Cox in regards to buying either
a sample or a Development Kit. He literally told me for $90,000 up
front and signing a non-disclosure form, I could get a sample of the
chips. If he had proper patent coverage, and with his backing he
should have, he does'nt need a NDA. Makes me wonder why?
erich |
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erich
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Dear Folks:
Here's another reply I've recieved:
"Hi Erich,
I spoke to Dr. Cox about 1.5 years ago regarding the
cool and power chips technology. This is actually
"old" technology (essentially a vacuum tube) that has
been updated with a clever trick to bring the
electrodes closer together thus providing higher
efficiency at lower temperature differentials. From
this point of view, Boreallis has made good progress,
however, the efficiency of this device still seems to
suffer for some reason that they are reluctant to
divulge. The claim that Rodney made to me is that
Boreallis requires significant investment to solve the
efficiency problem. This type of claim always raises
a red light in my view, but perhaps they have made
progress over the last 18 months.
Rodney also seemed very reluctant to provide any
concrete performance data. The papers I read were
encouraging but lacked independent performance
measurements from reputable labs. If I recall
correctly, C&P chips were planning to "dope" one of
the electrodes in the device to improve the electron
transfer current density and thus the efficiency of
the device. It would be interesting to find out if
they were successful.
Good luck in trying to evaluate this technology. I
would accept their claims with optimistic caution.
Glen Hillier"
I plan to call RTC Monday and ask about projected time tables of development and production of C&P Chips, number of interested companies and their applications. If they have made any efforts toward developing their thermonic car patent with Chorus motors and more details of the contract with Boeing.
If he is concerned about the competition of the thin-film superlattice technology of Nextreme from RTI backed by TINY ( harris & harris VC)
What the 90K up front fee for development kits is all about and his justifcation for the non-disclosure agreements
Also if there are any updated cost projections for prototypes and/or actual production
I am also wondering why he did not respond to my e-mail question about the Boeing patent.
Wish me luck
Erich
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donpatent
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This is an NNPP related board and I have indicated in messages above the relationship between the topic of this thread - Direct conversion of heat to electricity - to NNPP by way of Kumar, a former NNPP employee. Kumar helped develop USPs 5,399,238 and 5,312,514 while an NNPP employee.
NNPP is deeply involved with field emitters and CNTs. This direct conversion of heat to electricity (and the reverse, electricity into cooling) involves tunneling and emission; it would seem to me to be a natural for NNPP to be involved in - but I see no indication anywhere that they are. Perhaps the reason is that the solution is not foreseeable or that the payoff is not readily apparent nor sufficiently lucrative - but that seems hard to believe what with the cooling activities and power generation opportunities in society today.
Liasons and partnerships involving NNPP, Kumar/UHV, Penn State, Choi, RTI, Boeing, Borealis, even, leading to a finite, working, lucrative solution would be what I would like to see. NNPP's involvement in any of this is absent, as far as I have seen. Being an NNPP shareholder gives me hope, however. We shareholders are always the last to know anything like these sorts of associations and efforts into new areas and new endeavors!!
Even the newest entry - Advance Nanotech - has something interesting to put in the mix - their(Neil Fox et al of Bristol U.) lithium-doped nanodiamond particles to assist and improve the field emission. With all of these ingredients I expect the answer and solution may well be at hand. All it takes is some synergy by way of association - a melding of minds that will quite possibly provide the answer. But to do that one needs to get them together. Who does that? They do themselves or the government does by way of grants, but usually only to one applicant, not a grouping. It is the grouping approach of interested and involved participants that I advocate. Many cooks don't necessarily spoil the broth - they can concoct a brand new dish! It does go against the monopolistic approach advocated by patents but in many cases it is the ONLY way to get a solution. The day of the lone wolf inventor is long gone. The day of associations and partnerships is the future.
I know NNPP knows this and is following it, in many new areas. I'd like to see it embraced in this 'direct conversion of heat to electricity' endeavor. |
Edited by - donpatent on 03/13/2005 06:37:26 |
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erich
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Dear Folks:
I had my chat with Rodney Cox, he is very self assured, when I tried to get a cost figure for C&Pchips he said cost was not a factor. Inferring that his cost of power production is so low that as an original equipment manufacturer the world will come to him and he will charge what the energy market bears and make a lot of money.
I could not pin him down on a date for production, he did say they were still having trouble with the final production process, but they were buying more fabrication companies to keep all production in house.
When I asked about the number of companies that had placed orders and their applications all he would say was he had a had a half dozen, no names or applications.
He did mention the military has shown great interest in cool chips but asked that I not share the applications , but I'm sure you all can guess. I asked about government funding and his response was highly negative because the acceptance of DARPA funding involved too much control over the technology.
About the $ 90,000 fees and NDA for development kits, again I got the argument that he has the technology and he can ask whatever he wants.
On the Boeing patent he said that Boeing's people had worked with his development team and "should have known better " than to apply for that patent.
When I asked about his contract with Boeing for Chorus motor drives he said Boeing came to him with the deal. That the market will be huge with all the CEO's of the airlines wanting to retrofit their planes. The largest cost savings being not sucking up turtles off the tarmac. When I asked if the Boeing work was of an in the hub type design he would not confirm, or comment.
On the development of their Thermionic car patent he said they plan to do it in house in about two years using off the shelf components from the independent car part companies, Chorus drives and Power Chips.
His response to the Nextreme super lattice technology was that there too many steps in their production process to be any competition to Power Chips.
When I brought up the various calls for a Manhattan project for clean energy, the implications of China's oil thirst, etc., and how I thought his technology could save the world he laughed and reminded me that Borealis was an original equipment manufacturer, no licensing of their technology and was out to make money.
I did my best, This guy is playing very close to the vest.
Thanks to you all for the feed back, and hope to see more.
erich |
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donpatent
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Nanomaterials draw electricity from heat
Tammy Humphrey, University of Wollongong in Australia
Heiner Linke, University of Oregon
ZT=10
Under these conditions, the thermoelectric device can operate reversibly, which means that it attains the maximum possible efficiency – the Carnot limit (provided that heat leaks due to phonons can be suppressed). Humphrey and Linke calculate that this energy-specific equilibrium could produce a ZT of around 10 at room temperature: a phenomenal enhancement relative to current bulk thermoelectrics. Given that it should not be difficult to make nanostructured materials of this sort – for example, from arrays of quantum dots – we might hope to see the proposal put to the test in the near future.
Link to Nature article Link to nature article via RB message
Link to Physical Review Letters Abstract
Link to Physical Review Letters Paper
Tammy Humphrey site |
Edited by - donpatent on 03/26/2005 15:15:55 |
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erich
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News from Borealis:
"REFERS TO: AMTPF, BOREF, COLCF, PWCHF
"Avto Effect" Transforms Electron Emission Characteristics
Gibraltar, 7th July: A new method for increasing electron emission from thin
film materials may provide much improved materials for constructing vacuum
diodes and similar components, and, in turn, allow for greater efficiency in
a wide range of industrial processes, including power generation and heat
management.
Named for Dr Avto Tavkhelidze, who first theorized, researched and
discovered it, the "Avto Effect" has now been observed many times in
specially prepared films of gold and other materials. The preparation
involves changing the geometry of the surface of the film by etching tiny
grooves or corrugations on it. As a result, quantum wave interference
reveals new electronic characteristics which were previously unobserved.
One of the first effects to be observed has been a change in the material's
"work function", the amount of work needed to cause electron emission. In
repeated tests, the material's work function has been markedly lowered,
allowing electrons to flow more freely into the vacuum.
These results are consistent with the theory developed by Georgian scientist
Dr Tavkhelidze which will be presented next week, on July 10th, at 18th
International Vacuum Nanoelectronics Conference held at St. Catherine's
College, Oxford, UK (10th-14th July) by Nechama Katan, program manager for
Avto Metals plc, a company formed to commercialize the "Avto Effect". The
discovery can be applied to many materials, including non-metallic materials
such as silicon, although the phrase "Avto Metal" was coined at an early
stage to describe the resulting surfaces.
The paper, Observation of New Quantum Interference Effect in Solids, will
present the theory and results, including images of the grooved surfaces.
Tests have been conducted at three independent laboratories in Europe and
the USA in order to confirm the unprecedented results.
The rate of electron emission has, in the past, been regarded as a
characteristic of the material, defined by a constant known as the "work
function". Consequently, to get better work functions, most research looks
for new materials. The idea of improving the geometry of the surface to
effectively change the work function of a material across the whole surface
is a new development which has become possible as a result of improved
techniques for precisely texturing a surface at the nanoscale level.
An important difference between the Avto Effect and earlier work is that the
higher rate of emission is consistent across the whole surface of the film,
so Avto Metals do not rely on field emitters such as tips or nanotubes
which are difficult to fabricate and handle. And because the reduced work
functions of Avto Metals allow for thermionic emission instead of field
emission, emission occurs as a result of elevated temperatures, not the
application of very high voltages.
Avto Metals plc program manager Nechama Katan said: "The ability to lower
the work function of materials has commercial implications for many
industrial processes, from amplifiers to mass spectrometry to the cathode
ray tube, transistors, and any technology using vacuum diodes. In
particular, we expect it to facilitate the production of Power ChipsT and
Cool ChipsT, proprietary technologies owned by our sister companies in the
Borealis family."
For further information please contact:
Chris Bourne
Head of Public Relations
Avto Metals plc
Tel: +44 (0)20 8571 5216
Email: pr@avtometals.gi
Avto Metals plc (AMTPF) is a subsidiary of Borealis Exploration Limited
formed to commercialize the "Avto Effect", a technology that allows
nanoscale properties to be applied to large surface areas. Initial
applications are expected to include heat management, cathodes, transistors,
and power generation. The technology has been licensed to Cool Chips plc
(COLCF) for heat management applications and to Power Chips plc (PWCHF) "
erich |
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erich
Junior Poster
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donpatent
Veteran Poster
315 Posts
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erich
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Dear Charlie:
I sent Rodney Cox of Borealis your site asking for his opinion, here's his reply:
Erich
These guys are talking of thousands of watts per square inch.
There is simply no way to move that much heat on or off such a device.
As for generating 50 nanowatts of power, that is scientifically interesting but not very useful.
It would take 20 million of the 50 nanowatt devices to make a watt of power.
Keep sending me this stuff.
We like to look at everything.
rtc
At 06:55 PM 7/26/2005, Shengar@aol.com wrote:
Dear Rodney:
Thought you would appreciate the low cost and easy fabrication of that graphite hydrogen storagesystem, and it seems it development may be quick enough for your car.
I've read that Ballard power estimates the total well to wheel efficiency for their fuel cell cars at 27%, compared to internal combustion's 17%. At 80% of carnot ,and your motors, yours must be at least 40%, do you have an estimate?
Also, you better hope this diode approach doesn't work. They talk that the costs of a Kilowatt chip may be a dollar and last a million hours ( 113 years ).
Diode Array
Erich J. Knight
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Erich J. Knight
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Registered: Oct 2004 | IP: Logged
Charlie Brown
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Member # 177
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posted July 27, 2005 12:45 PM
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I used to claum a killowatt / cm2 at 10 nm spacung between the buckyballs for 10^12 diodes / cm2 but backed off to 100 watts / cm2 / 35 nm spacing / 10^11 diodes / cm2. 35 nm spacing gives the reverse bias depletion zone room to grow. I don't know how big the reverse bias depletion zone will be. A little bit of crowding may pay off because a lot of inefficient diodes beats a lot fewer very efficient diodes. Bringing a hundred watts / cm2 of heat to the diodes is hard enough. Making diodes by the billions by sprinkeling buckyballs seems to me cheap and easy. Nature has no guile so the simple coherence of having all the diodes right side up for consistant algnment and metalized into massive parallel is enough to rectify and aggregate the Johnson Noise.
It probably was Mr. Cox who asked me to convince him in a short statement that my device would work (I can look that up)... My last computer ate all its email...
Dr. Crowe at VDI will look up a diode array patch with a lot of small anodes for me when he returns from vacation ~Aug 1.
Aloha, Charlie
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erich knight
Junior Member
Member # 23
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posted July 27, 2005 01:01 PM
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I e-mailed Virginia Diode for their thoughts, here's the reply:
Hello Erich,
Frankly, we have no association with Mr. Brown and do not have any faith in his proposed concept. Personally, I believe he has the physics all wrong. I saw from your email that the patent was dated thirty years ago. Thats's a long time. I imagine that if this really worked we would have known by now.
I have asked Mr. Brown to stop using our company name and information in his correspondence with respect to this technology.
Regards,
Tom Crowe, President
Virginia Diodes, Inc.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: admin@readyhosting.com [mailto:admin@readyhosting.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, July 26, 2005 10:53 PM
> To: VDIRFQ@virginiadiodes.com
> Subject: Product Information Request
>
> ***
> Name: Erich J. Knight
> Company: Shenandoah Gardens
> Comments:
>
> Dear Sirs:
>
> What is your opinion on the viability of this radical technology proposed by
> Charles M. Brown:
>
>
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Erich J. Knight
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Charlie Brown
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Member # 177
Member Rated:
posted July 27, 2005 01:04 PM
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I just opened an email from Dr. Crowe reminding me that he dosn't endorse the diode array in this application. He dosen't want his employees bothered with it it. Please don't contact him or his company. He with everyone else will hear about it if / when a power prototype is shown at a media conference.
Aloha, Charlie
erich |
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donpatent
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erich, Ive never been able to nail down this 'radio noise' stuff but it is not for want of trying (after all - it's free for the taking!!!).
This is as close as I have come:
1) http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee293a/
http://www.stanford.edu/class/ee293a/DocumA.html
Note Chapter 10 "Radio Noise" - "Skipped" (Just my luck!)
2) United States Patent Application 20030183268
Kind Code A1
Shanefield, Daniel Jay October 2, 2003
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Device for conversion of environmental thermal energy into direct current electricity
Abstract
Nearly-random electron motion in the primary wire of a transformer is amplified by that transformer, and the varying peaks of voltage drive some current pulses through a rectifying diode. These pulses charge a capacitor, and that charge can provide electrical energy through output wires, to do useful work elsewhere.
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Inventors: Shanefield, Daniel Jay; (Princeton, NJ)
Correspondence Name and Address: Daniel J. Shanefield
119 Jefferson Road
Princeton
NJ
08540-3373
US
Link
3) United States Patent Application 20030192582
Kind Code A1
Guevara, Hector October 16, 2003
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Thermal electric generator
Abstract
The Thermal Electric Generator (TEG) includes a high efficiency multi-layer semiconductor device adapted to enable heat, over a wide temperature range, to be converted into useful power. This is not a simple solar panel. The "heat" referred to here can be from radiation or any other convection or conduction source. One important aspect is that the TEG not only works in a "solar" environment, but is more particularly adapted to recover energy from heat generated by electronic components and circuits, mechanical rotating equipment and machinery, waste energy, furnaces, geothermal, etc. This heat comes in the form of released electrons, thus, the invention is based on the concept of fluctuation voltages and the conversion of the same into useful energy, which translates into an increased efficiency of over 50% compared to the peak existing efficiency (i.e., 16%) of existing solar panels
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Inventors: Guevara, Hector; (Bohemia, NY)
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erich
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lengould Posted: Aug 2 2005, 04:11 AM
Advanced Member
Group: Members
Posts: 202
Member No.: 590
Joined: 7-August 04
Actually the concept is legitimate physics, well known as "Optical Rectena". It works on the principle of receiving light radiation with an array of (very tiny) antennae, just like microwaves or FM etc. Theoretically capable of sunlight conversion efficiencies in the 70%+ range with no doped crystals etc. like current photovoltaics. Being worked on fairly intensively in one or more US research labs, with some good progress reported. Biggest difficulty is building the tiny diode rectifiers required to convert the energy recieved on the antenna into dc electricity, because the required dimensions are a couple of orders of magnitude smaller than present semiconductor fabs are doing.
I can't believe, with how well known and published the concept is, that anyone might be granted a patent on it though
Here's a DARPA dicument from 2000
http://www.darpa.mil/dso/trans/energy/briefings/11itn.pdf
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Direct conversion of heat to electricity
