Bristol physicists break 150-year-old law

http://www.physorg.com ^ | July 20, 2011 | Staff + University of Bristol

[Red Badger]

This could lead to some really efficient heat exchangers.............

[Red Badger]

Ping!.........

[rarestia]

Damn, I just ordered an upgraded radiator for my PC cooling system. I wonder when this new metal will be in our cars and our PCs for cooling?

[Mr. K]

does this mean it conducts heat one direction and charge another direction?

[Hoodat]

The limitation of the heat exchanger is defined by the diffusivity of the fluids, not the barrier.

[coloradan]

Why would electrical conductivity get in the way of heat exchangers? Copper works pretty well, even though it does conduct electricity.

The bronze merely has high ratio of thermal to electrical conductivity. It doesn’t necessarily have a very high thermal conductivity.

[nuke rocketeer]

It would have to be something other than bronze to be used in nuclear power plants. Copper alloys are verboten now, and even a lot of fossil plants are getting rid of copper alloys as the copper tends to leach out and foul steam generators and boiler tubes.

[Upstate NY Guy]

Ping for later. This looks good.

[piytar]

Nope. It means it conducts heat in one direction and doesn’t conduct charge hardly at all...

[Zeppo]

Gravity: It’s Not Just a Good Idea – It’s the Law

[Zakeet]

This needs to be outlawed immediately because it might be worse than cow farts in contributing somehow to global warming

[Red Badger]

By the time your car is ready for the junk heap and your computer makes a nice conversation piece in your curio cabinet...............

[patton]

I see an immediate market for purple bronze cannons.

[Red Badger]

Or purple bronze rifle barrels.................

[Thane_Banquo]

it breaks the Wiedemann-Franz Law.

So... is that just a misdemeanor, or are they going to have to do jail time?

[Red Badger]

This research merely proves that they can break this ‘law’ under certain conditions. The metal used was just the beginning. If it can be done with this metal combo, then it most likely can be done with other metal combos as well...................

[Thane_Banquo]

If it can be done with this metal combo, then it most likely can be done with other metal combos as well...................

I think metal combos would not taste very good.

[reed13k]

I always give a shudder over the abuse of the terms ‘law’ ‘theory’ ‘hypothesis’ etc

[aimhigh]

How dare anyone challenge scientific consensus!

[factoryrat]

I guess the cupronickel tubes and tubesheets in heat exchangers would be out of the question then. Unfortunately most nuclear plants have dozens of these style of shell and tube heat exchangers in operation. Stainless steel doesn’t conduct heat nearly as well as most copper alloys.

Not to step on your toes or anything, but I built a lot of replacement parts for those heat exchangers.