Cool...
The new Steve Jobs.
Doesn't necessarily follow. The energy to charge the batteries has to come from somewhere.
Still, it's a 'cool' idea...
I would like a job coming up with code names and naming war ships.
Peltier chips have been around for a long time. They aren't used because they are horribly inefficient when compared with a traditional heat pump, so I don't know where these guys are getting their saving gasoline figure from. The engine either has to crank the compressor to run the traditional air conditioner, or crank like crazy on the alternator to run the peltier chips.
I would bet that when you run the actual numbers, you'll find that using peltier chips actually reduces your gas mileage as the load on the alternator increases.
If they have indeed found a more efficient way to generate cool air, they will be very rich.
a contract that won't bankrupt the company?
Well, that sounds nifty, but does it dehumudify like a typical AC unit? How many Peltier chips would it take to cool down an entire house?
Second prize is 20 days in Japan...
And where does this nitwit think the electricity for the Peltier chips comes from?
That's right: the engine.
What are the odds that somone in the know might tell the rest of us (me) what a Peltier Chip actually is?
That is pretty cool. Besides, this could be the first generation prototype. Give a few real scientists a chance to make this industrially efficient and more powerful, and we might have something here. Even if its not optimal now, doesn't mean what they created may not be useful in the future.
11. Are there situations where compressor-based systems make more sense?
Yes. Generally, whenever a small compressor-based system would clearly be 'overkill' in providing a cooling solution, TE systems become the most viable choice. You find a 'gray area' amidst the medium-sized cooling jobs; here decisions ultimately come down to critical cost/benefit or design engineering considerations which are unique to each application. Given the present state of technology—unless there are unique overriding concerns—the compressor-based approach has distinct advantages in larger cooling systems such as standard-sized refrigerators and air-conditioning systems for buildings & vehicles. However, ongoing research into materials may one day make thermoelectrics practical for many of these larger applications.
This is from one of the manufacturers of Peltier effect devices. Source: Tellurex Corp.. Now, what do you suppose these kids know that Tellurex Corp doesn't?
I guess the fuel savings will also be more in the south than in Canada.
It's amazing what people who aren't addicted to meetings can accomplish.
It's still too early to know if the boys will receive the patent. Nonetheless, it's wonderful that our patent system allows anyone of any age to patent an invention. When these boys invented their AC unit, they were too young to vote and probably too young to drive legally. However, they weren't too young to receive a patent.
"1964 General Motors analysis that explored the idea before the car company concluded it wasn't possible. "
"And though repeated attempts to communicate with Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. have gone unanswered, high officials in Japan - an ocean away - are awaiting the arrival of Riverton's young inventors."
Congratulations to these young men. I hope that the adults around them don't take advantage of the young men's success.
Those two quotes... is it any wonder our country is in the shape it's in? Or that GM is where it is today?
...and the Japanese patent law system of very narrow patents, will allow them to copy the idea with some minor changes and declare it a different "technology" with an exclusive japanese issued patent.
or
They just reverse engineer it, say it is an older idea they already had or simply it is too general a concept and fight the patent.