While I can only guess that semiconductors are used because they're more efficient, I don't think they're actually required for a thermocouple. All you really need are just two different "conductors". I've heard copper and steel can be used together; though, the voltage is not great compared to commercial thermocouples, in which I believe nickel alloys are among the most commonly used materials. So, even though this video gives a better presentation on the semiconductor version than Wikipedia, it still leaves me guessing as to why semiconductors are used at all.
Y think it helps, if you know how semi conductors work, then it is easy to understand one aloy as the P terminal and one as the N terminal. So that you can visualize how the heat induces a current. But you are absolutely right, even two wires are enough for the thermoelectric effect
Actually for thermoelectric generators we look for higher electrical conductivity but lower thermal conductivity. With metals it is a headache to conduct only the electron flow, hence we have to use semiconductors with doping of different metals from the thermoelectric series. People try to make interstitial defects, alloying, nano-structuring, etc to make it possible
Excellent presentation! Let's suppose that the cold side of a Seebeck thermoelectric generator (TEG1) is near absolute zero (0K/-273.15C). Let us further assume that the hot side of TEG1 is 100K/-173.15C. Let us assume that another Seebeck thermoelectric generator (TEG2) has a cold side temperature of 273.15K/0C and a hot side temperature of 373.15K/100C. Would the power generated by TEG1 equal the power generated by TEG2? Because the molecular motion would be greatly reduced in TEG2, would it require less energy input into the system to maintain the 100C temperature difference than TEG1?
Firstly absolute zero is theoretical. Then we have to consider conductivity. Generally in case of good conductors such as metals with temperature increase conductivity decreases but for semiconductors it is opposite. So TEG 2 would be better for increased conductivity.
what you need is one element that conduct heat very fast next to one that conduct heat slow that is also electrically conductive. that would form a p and n junction. can also be copper and steel or silver and lead. there are many elements that would act as either a p or n layer. the germans under world war II used silver in their junctions.
@ Primodernious While I get that conducting heat slowly will help maintain or maximize the temperature differential, I fail to understand why materials with different thermal conductivities are necessary. According to my limited understanding of the Seebeck effect, each material has its own voltage potential across the temperature gradient, and I infer that the only reason why two different materials are needed is so the circuit can be completed without the two sides canceling each other out. And the reason they don't cancel each other out is because they have different Seebeck coefficients and, thus, different voltage potentials over the same temperature gradient.
what a good video and explanation! It's very helpfull hello sir, can I take some little part of your video to complete my homework? I will mention your youtube channel on my video assignment...
p and n layer stand for one prositively charged layer and one negatively charged layer. it reality one element that has a greater charge that another or to different elements would form such a semiconductor. also can be more mass of one element in a junction with less mass. in silicon its just a difference in property as the element is the same for each layer just different property.
1:16 Why woul electrons move to the cooler end? you didnt explain, is this because the electrons are vibrating more and its like a dog with a bad case of flees that 'shakes' these electrons off and so they then head towards more stable states-i.e. the cooler end? Also this is amplified because the N type material has excess electrons and the P type more 'holes' for them to jump in to?
electrones wanted to immigrate from very densely populated country to other country but they didnt had visa so they were bound in one country but as soon as they got visa they went to country of their choice.
If you separate the thermo couple parts and put one on the roof and one inside cool place or under foundation then you can cool the city and charge battery or run refrigeration air conditioner at the same time so endless electricity called heat pump
radio isotope and solar are not the only ways to power space craft, fuel cells were used in the past. considering the efficiency of them, i am surprised that they are not used more.
My only exposure to fuel cells has been via KSP, so I might add that to my topic list, and dive into how they work, and perhaps why they haven't been exploited fully.
i realise its 2 years late, but realistically, lifetime power supply, radioisotopes will supply for ages, solar is basically as long as the sun shines and the panel lifetime, a fuel cell, lol, once it runs dry that's it, there is no point, if you're gonna regenerate the fuel cells via solar the real question is WHY?, you already have solar power so why waste the mass, unless you are operating some distance like neptune and you want to slowly store power over time to then use it in a quick burst of high energy cost activity, then i really dont see why you'd do it.
@@TS-jm7jm solar is fine, but it is only available near earth and the panels themselves can be fragile, not to mention that an engine like vasmir would require more power than what a solar panel would be able to provide for a human mars mission, and maybe a moon mission. nuclear power from the thermoelectric effect has long durations, but it sucks with efficiency, requiring a large amount of mass just to be relevant.
Yes, but you're usually paying to keep the inside hotter than the outside, so you might spend more on the increase in your heating bills than you'd make in the electricity the device produced.
@@d.k.f4881 I suspect it's more of a problem to native English speakers in general. There are many better videos in my native dialect buried in the search results, but instead I get these foreign dialect versions first. I suspect this is on purpose.
@@KeithGriffith-f5h a gentle reminder that this „foreign dialect“ has been around centuries longer than your entire nation has. If all other first world countries have no problem understanding them, it shouldn’t be that hard for even you Americans as well.
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
While I can only guess that semiconductors are used because they're more efficient, I don't think they're actually required for a thermocouple. All you really need are just two different "conductors". I've heard copper and steel can be used together; though, the voltage is not great compared to commercial thermocouples, in which I believe nickel alloys are among the most commonly used materials.
So, even though this video gives a better presentation on the semiconductor version than Wikipedia, it still leaves me guessing as to why semiconductors are used at all.
Because they are more efficient so less space used and more power.
Y think it helps, if you know how semi conductors work, then it is easy to understand one aloy as the P terminal and one as the N terminal. So that you can visualize how the heat induces a current.
But you are absolutely right, even two wires are enough for the thermoelectric effect
Actually for thermoelectric generators we look for higher electrical conductivity but lower thermal conductivity. With metals it is a headache to conduct only the electron flow, hence we have to use semiconductors with doping of different metals from the thermoelectric series. People try to make interstitial defects, alloying, nano-structuring, etc to make it possible
Excellent presentation! Let's suppose that the cold side of a Seebeck thermoelectric generator (TEG1) is near absolute zero (0K/-273.15C). Let us further assume that the hot side of TEG1 is 100K/-173.15C. Let us assume that another Seebeck thermoelectric generator (TEG2) has a cold side temperature of 273.15K/0C and a hot side temperature of 373.15K/100C.
Would the power generated by TEG1 equal the power generated by TEG2?
Because the molecular motion would be greatly reduced in TEG2, would it require less energy input into the system to maintain the 100C temperature difference than TEG1?
Firstly absolute zero is theoretical.
Then we have to consider conductivity. Generally in case of good conductors such as metals with temperature increase conductivity decreases but for semiconductors it is opposite.
So TEG 2 would be better for increased conductivity.
what you need is one element that conduct heat very fast next to one that conduct heat slow that is also electrically conductive. that would form a p and n junction. can also be copper and steel or silver and lead. there are many elements that would act as either a p or n layer. the germans under world war II used silver in their junctions.
@ Primodernious
While I get that conducting heat slowly will help maintain or maximize the temperature differential, I fail to understand why materials with different thermal conductivities are necessary. According to my limited understanding of the Seebeck effect, each material has its own voltage potential across the temperature gradient, and I infer that the only reason why two different materials are needed is so the circuit can be completed without the two sides canceling each other out. And the reason they don't cancel each other out is because they have different Seebeck coefficients and, thus, different voltage potentials over the same temperature gradient.
careful when reading and typing "p or n".
Very nice video, the explanation and animation are exceptional.
what a good video and explanation! It's very helpfull
hello sir, can I take some little part of your video to complete my homework? I will mention your youtube channel on my video assignment...
That's fine
thanks this is for a title defense tomorrow
Thanks bro
p and n layer stand for one prositively charged layer and one negatively charged layer. it reality one element that has a greater charge that another or to different elements would form such a semiconductor. also can be more mass of one element in a junction with less mass. in silicon its just a difference in property as the element is the same for each layer just different property.
very good, I like your
work
shut up
Excellent video !
1:16 Why woul electrons move to the cooler end? you didnt explain, is this because the electrons are vibrating more and its like a dog with a bad case of flees that 'shakes' these electrons off and so they then head towards more stable states-i.e. the cooler end? Also this is amplified because the N type material has excess electrons and the P type more 'holes' for them to jump in to?
electrones wanted to immigrate from very densely populated country to other country but they didnt had visa so they were bound in one country but as soon as they got visa they went to country of their choice.
If you separate the thermo couple parts and put one on the roof and one inside cool place or under foundation then you can cool the city and charge battery or run refrigeration air conditioner at the same time so endless electricity called heat pump
It was helpful
I'm glad you found it helpful.
Tropical region is perfect for cooling and generate electricity at the sametime
radio isotope and solar are not the only ways to power space craft, fuel cells were used in the past. considering the efficiency of them, i am surprised that they are not used more.
My only exposure to fuel cells has been via KSP, so I might add that to my topic list, and dive into how they work, and perhaps why they haven't been exploited fully.
i realise its 2 years late, but realistically, lifetime power supply, radioisotopes will supply for ages, solar is basically as long as the sun shines and the panel lifetime,
a fuel cell, lol, once it runs dry that's it, there is no point, if you're gonna regenerate the fuel cells via solar the real question is WHY?, you already have solar power so why waste the mass, unless you are operating some distance like neptune and you want to slowly store power over time to then use it in a quick burst of high energy cost activity, then i really dont see why you'd do it.
@@TS-jm7jm solar is fine, but it is only available near earth and the panels themselves can be fragile, not to mention that an engine like vasmir would require more power than what a solar panel would be able to provide for a human mars mission, and maybe a moon mission. nuclear power from the thermoelectric effect has long durations, but it sucks with efficiency, requiring a large amount of mass just to be relevant.
@@commonsense-og1gz only available near earth, are you cooked, do you not know the sun shines omnidirectionally.
what are p type and n type material made of sir?
Gallium and silicon
If it's hotter in your house than outside your house could you make electricity?
Yes, but you're usually paying to keep the inside hotter than the outside, so you might spend more on the increase in your heating bills than you'd make in the electricity the device produced.
I came here looking to see how voyager 1 and 2 created power from radioactive material 👍
Unfortunately, the seebeck effect is only about 5% efficient at turning thermal energy into electrical energy so most of the input energy is wasted.
5:46 someone snuck a fail video into a science lecture
Not US, accent is distracting.
Sounds like a you-problem
@@d.k.f4881 I suspect it's more of a problem to native English speakers in general. There are many better videos in my native dialect buried in the search results, but instead I get these foreign dialect versions first. I suspect this is on purpose.
@@KeithGriffith-f5h a gentle reminder that this „foreign dialect“ has been around centuries longer than your entire nation has. If all other first world countries have no problem understanding them, it shouldn’t be that hard for even you Americans as well.
@@KeithGriffith-f5h Average American Xenophobia
#C:ASSANGE_Q