Scientists convert heat into electricity

UPI ^ | 06/04/07

[nypokerface]

SALT LAKE CITY, June 4 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists have developed a technology that converts heat into sound and then into electricity.

University of Utah physicist Orest Symko said the technology also holds promise for harnessing solar energy and cooling computers and radars.

"We are converting waste heat to electricity in an efficient, simple way by using sound," said Symko. "It is a new source of renewable energy from waste heat."

Symko plans to test the technology within a year to produce electricity from waste heat at a military radar facility and at the university's hot-water-generating plant.

The research is funded by the U.S. Army, which is interested in "taking care of waste heat from radar and also producing a portable source of electrical energy which you can use in the battlefield to run electronics," said Symko.

The scientist and his colleagues said they expect the technology could be used within two years as an alternative to photovoltaic cells for converting sunlight into electricity, as well as a way to cool laptop and other computers.

Five of Symko's doctoral students will present the research Friday in Salt Lake City during the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America.

[American_Centurion]

http://www.unews.utah.edu/p/?r=053007-1

[Spruce]

Unfortunately, the 'sound' is Helen Reddy singing I am Woman

[WorkerbeeCitizen]

Isn’t that kinda like a microwave oven?

[wideawake]

President Clinton has been turning excess heat into sound for decades.

[r9etb]

Thermionics and thermocouples do the same.

Space probes to the outer planets use the latter, using heat from nuclear decay. They're about 5% efficient.

Is this new process any better/more efficient?

[Arthalion]

Efficiency is everything. If this invention converts 1% of heat into electricity, it really isn’t a big deal (there are other conversion methods with greater efficiency). If it converts 50%, the results would be astounding. New nuclear reactor designs (no more steam turbines), hyper-efficient solar arrays, you name it.

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Hot air into electricity, huh?

Who knew that Washington, D.C. and our liberal university professors could be an important energy resource!

[ThePythonicCow]

Isn’t that kinda like a microwave oven?

Well, the other way around. The microwave oven converts electricity to heat (there are -many- ways to do that.) This new device converts heat to electricity.

[Brilliant]

There you go. Global warming may prove to be the solution ot the energy crisis.

[Jaysun]

Wow.

[randog]

Symko plans to test the technology within a year to produce electricity from waste heat at a military radar facility and at the university's hot-water-generating plant:

[Mad Dawg]

I was thinking hot flashes — what my wife calls, “my own private summer.”

[Larry Lucido]

What good would that do? I’d only be able to run my air conditioner on hot days.

Oh, wait...

[Uriah_lost]

I’m gonna go check slashdot to see what they have on it.
If any of you don’t know about the geek wonderland that is slashdot.... http://slashdot.org/

[rbosque]

Another source of energy.

[Uriah_lost]

...and sure enough...
http://hardware.slashdot.org/hardware/07/06/04/176254.shtml

[ElkGroveDan]

Unfortunately, the 'sound' is Helen Reddy singing I am Woman

...Linda McCartney singing Hey Jude...William Shatner signing Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds...Nancy Kerrigan singing the Star Spangled Banner...

[AlexW]

“The microwave oven converts electricity to heat”

Not exactly. The microwaves excite their target (THE FOOD) which in turn generates heat as the food molecules go into orgasm.

The microwaves themselves are not radiating heat.

[TexasCajun]

"Fools!! "

"Heat can't melt steel & can't make electricity! "