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Old 02-15-2012, 08:51 AM   #14 (permalink)
Air-Hybrid
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mans View Post
i think were still ok:
at $5 a piece that would run you $100-$125 plus a way to install them.

I'd say put half of them on the coolant and half on the exhaust

the trick would be getting them the proper distance away from the exhaust pipe so they dont fry.
Put as many on the exhaust as room allows. Coolant temp is too low.
If these things have a max temp rating of 180degC then the efficiency will drop off exponentially away from that (course the actual efficiency is defined by the differential in heat - cold side to hot side, but for this application cold-side is ambient & won't vary enough to change the equation).
So on the coolant system the temps conducted to the device will be 100degC at best, which for ambient of 20C equals bad efficiency. Hot side 179degC versus 20degC will be far better.

To control the heat transferred from exhaust - you could use a bi-metal strip (or an electronic equivalent) to actuate a plate (give it some thermal mass, ie. don't make it not too thin or you'll get hot spots!) half an inch to make/break contact with the exhaust. The Seebeck devices can be mounted on the back of the plate.

Last edited by Air-Hybrid; 02-15-2012 at 08:57 AM..
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