AboutDave Nyce Expertise I have been an electronics engineer for 25 years. I can answer questions on analog and digital circuits and my specialty is sensors.
Experience I am the inventor on 23 US patents, and also some foreign ones. Developed sensors for over 25 years. Licensed private pilot (airplane and rotorcraft), have HAM radio license. I'm not an expert in computer networking.
imPyre wrote at 2009-05-13 00:50:17
I realize this is an old question, but electro-mechanics is a hobby of mine. So, I'd like to offer you a more concrete explanation as to why this idea will not work.
First of all, from what you have said, you've connected your thermocouple and your VDG in parallel, in this case it is far more likely that the voltage generated by the VDG generator will "short" across your thermocouple, as it will offer far less resistance than your theoretical load. This will bleed off any energy created by directly counter-acting the energy created from the thermocouple itself.
Secondly, current and voltage are not two different things, as your friend was trying to explain in his page. Liken electric flow/potential to water and hydraulics systems. Voltage is similar to pressure, and current is similar to rate-of-flow. That being said, you can probably better see the relationship. Voltage, current, and resistance are all intricately related.
Last, it is very feasible to take either of these methods and generate a useful amount of either current or voltage, and using the proper transformers, put them to work.
In theory, if you run VDG generator output through a voltage step-down transformer, then the current capacity will increase (kind of like switching to a lower gear, less torque to the wheels, but at higher RPMS). The only problem with this scenario is that VDG generators generate a charge that is so high in voltage, and (by itself) capable of so little current, that a transformer capable of changing the high-voltage/low-amperage charges into something useable is just unfeasible. This is because of the material limitations of magnetic coils, and the size limitations on magnetic fields surrounding them. This is also because the necessary ratio of generator coils-to-load bearing coils would be in the "thousands-to-one" ratio. Unless you come up with a new way to make coils, getting that many coils that close together is nigh-impossible.
As a final note, (and as has been stated before) thermocouples alone are a very feasible method of converting heat energy (solar or geothermal) to electricity at home. When combined with an adequate storage medium (thermal, mechanical, or electrical) a solar thermocouple setup could provide power non-stop.
