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i have a feeling that this isnt possible but wanted to double check.

Could you use a Peltier plate on a heat source to generate electricity and then use that electricity to power a Peltier plate as a cooling device?

I want to use the heat given off by a radiator to cool and condense air.

Thanks,

David

David Murray
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2 Answers2

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Can you? Yes. Would it make sense to? Probably not. Peltier cells are not very efficient (guess: 10%), so your combination would be perhaps 1% efficient. If the heat's free, and you don't care about the cost of the cells, and you aren't cooling very much, then it might be worth it. Otherwise, not.

Daniel Griscom
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  • Thanks for the reply. I want to use the 'free' energy from the radiator without any external input. As opposed to an absorption system this seemed more practical to build. Are there any other ways of cooling using heat than these two methods? – David Murray Nov 24 '15 at 19:47
  • Be aware that you don't just have to have heat for a Peltier to work; you also have to have cold, as a Peltier cell works on the difference. So, think of where you'll be getting your "cold". – Daniel Griscom Nov 24 '15 at 19:53
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Yes you can use heat on a thermal cycle engine, to generate cold .

The old refrigerators, powered by kerosene, worked this way.

Another practical example is Einstein's refrigerator.

Ricardo Wong Jin Bom
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  • ricardo's kerosene-powered example is known as an ammonia-absorption-cycle refrigerator. the primary manufacturer of them in the US used to be the Servel Company, so they are also known as servel-cycle refrigerators. Many of these are used today in trailers and motor homes, where they are fueled by propane. – niels nielsen Oct 19 '17 at 19:51