Generating Electricity from Heat Using Tunnel Diodes

Written by: Swagatam Edited by: Lamar Stonecypher Updated May 27, 2011 Scientists have always struggled finding a SOLID-STATE method of generating electricity from heat, and so far have not quite succeeded. Although a complex procedure, here we discuss comprehensively how we can convert waste heat into electricity using tunnel diodes.
Introduction

While shuffling through my old engineering books, I luckily found this piece of paper which had very interesting information regarding how to convert waste heat into electricity (although in small amounts). Probably it was plucked by me from some electronic magazine a long, long time ago. Since the bottom portion of it was quite battered, I couldnt identify the name of the magazine, but fortunately the authors name and the whole article was intact. Developed by J. Freshwater and C. Sanjay, the idea deals with an innovative way of exploiting the natural characteristic of the not so popular semiconductor device the tunnel diode. The concept is somewhat tough and it took quite some time for me to actually grasp the whole procedure. But dont worry- I have arranged the whole circuit evaluation into an easy to understand explanation just for you. Lets go through it.
How the Concept Works

A tunnel diode is hugely different from a normal rectifier diode and is characterized by a fast response time. Also referring to the graph we find that, as the applied current IF is increased, after a certain value, astonishingly its forward voltage UFdips, quite unlike other normal diodes. Thus it clearly shows a negative resistance characteristic (shown by the shaded area)

and basically is exploited for the present purpose of generating electricity from heat. This characteristic is normally represented as Rd. Now, according to Ohms Law, in an electric circuit loop consisting of a battery and a load, I = U/R, where I is the current, U is the applied voltage and R is the resistance offered by the circuit load. Obviously here the positive sign associated with I and R indicates that the battery will start discharging through R. Therefore conversely, if I and R carry a negative sign or a minus sign, theoretically and logically, it should start charging the connected battery. Going by the above explanations, consider a closed loop circuit consisting of a chargeable NiCd battery and a group of tunnel diodes (see figure and click to enlarge). If we apply heat externally to these diodes so that their IF increases to the desired level ( Rd) , the resultant Ohms law can be now derived as: I = U/ R. Also, the dissipated power will look like: P = I2 R (by substituting Ohms law in P = IU). The above expression convincingly proves that the circuit is now in fact charging the battery.

Interestingly here, the load itself acts as a voltage source with a low internal resistance. However, the generated voltage should be greater than the battery voltage to initiate the charging current. The charging current IC is expressed by the following equation: IC = [(UF) (Ubat)]/(Rd)+Rbat In the above equation (Rd) notation indicates that all the diodes involved in the circuit need to be operated specifically at their Rd region and if any diode does not satisfy this condition it would simply cancel the whole objective of the concept. So it becomes imperative to carefully segregate these diodes by testing each of them individually so that the circuit is able to produce the desired function of generating electricity from heat.

How to Test the Diodes Discretely?

A simple test circuit set up (see figure and click to enlarge) makes the segregations very easy. It will be important to note that the ammeter used in the circuit should

be able to indicate both the positive and the negative current polarity of the diodes under test. Also, the whole operation needs to be performed at an ambient temperature thats below 8 degrees Celsius. The procedure is completed with the following steps: As shown in the schematic, connect the diodes one at a time into the given slot. Slowly adjust the potentiometer and record their UF/IF response and make sure they produce the desired ( Rd) result. You will need to keep a FM radio close to the set up during the present procedure. Tune the radio to around 94 MHz, keep the volume fairly loud. Make sure that the diodes under test do not oscillate at the tuned frequency (due to the Gallium-Indium Antimonide doping in Tunnel Diodes: 10-7). The above response may vary a bit for different diodes between 200mV to 260mV; group them such that this value is as similar as possible for each of them. Also, adding up of the above voltage of the selected group should produce a greater value than the battery voltage that is to be charged. For example if the average UF of the selected group of tunnel diodes comes to about 210mV, then we may require 7 such diodes to effectively convert waste heat into electricity and charge a 1.2 volt Ni-Cd cell.
Parts List

All Resistors are 1/4 Watt, 5%, CFR. R1 = 20 Ohms, R2 = 56 Ohms, R3 = 33 Ohms,

P1 = 2K2 PRESET, LINEAR, C1 = 20 n, C2 = 820 pF, C3 = 1.5 nF, C4 = 10 u F, L1 = 2.2uF, 5 turns of 22 SWG enameled copper wire, 7mm in diameter, air cored, B1 = 1.2 V Ni-Cd CELL, M1 = 100 MA FOR MAIN CIRCUIT. M1 = 1 MA FOR DIODE TEST CIRCUIT. TUNNEL DIODES = BA 7891 NG GENERAL PURPOSE PCB, ALUMINUM PLATE ETC.
Construction Clues

Once the required diodes are appropriately selected, the construction may be commenced by fixing all the 7 diodes over an aluminum plate, observing due care not to short circuit their leads with the metal as shown in the figure. Next, assemble the rest of the shown components over a general purpose PCB with the help of the circuit schematic and connect the relevant points to the diode series. The circuit is now complete. If now an ammeter is connected to the circuit as shown, and if the ambient temperature is over 35 degrees Celsius, you should immediately start witnessing some deviation over the meter, indicating the conversion of heat into electricity. If the diode/aluminum plate assembly is introduced to some more significant source of heat, like from direct sunlight or near a furnace, the rise in the charging current may rise as high as 100 mA, quite enough to charge the single Ni-Cd cell within few hours.

The above idea, though a bit complicated and miniature, introduces quite an impressive method to convert waste heat into electricity, which always seemed pretty illusive to everybody. Related: Stirling Engine Revival - Using Stirling Engines to Recover Waste Heat in Mechanical Engineering

Electricity From Sea Water - an Experiment

Written by: Swagatam Edited by: Lamar Stonecypher Published Jul 24, 2010 Related Guides: Sea Water | Generating Electricity | Electricity There are many possible renewable methods of generating electricity, but sea water is seldom considered a serious option. Here well witness through an experimental set up how this simple method of producing free electricity can be one of the most efficient ones.
Electricity from Sea Tides

Its ironic isnt it? We constantly speak and debate about the energy crisis, exhausting fossil fuels, and rising electric bills, but simply fail to notice the vast amount of naturally available energy thats scattered everywhere around us, waiting just to be picked up. When it comes to renewable energy sources, normally we think of either solar power or wind power. How can we just forget about sea water (tides), which in fact covers the maximum portion of this globe and perhaps has the most constructive forces of all? If properly tamed and utilized for generating electricity, this raw force can surely produce enough electricity to eliminate the power crisis once and for all. We all are familiar with the constant tidal waves generated by the sea. This vertical motion of the water can be simply used as a pump to alternately pull and push an enclosed air column inside a hollow tube or pipe. The generated air pressure can be used to rotate a turbine of a motor and generate electricity. The simple experimental model presented here will convincingly prove the great potential of this method of generating electricity from sea water. Lets do it.

Building the Experimental Model

We know that the surface of the sea is very turbulent, generating constant inflation and depression over its surface level. If we take a cross-section of this movement, we find that the amount and the rate of displacement of the level is quite significant. If a hollow cylindrical pipe (open at its ends) is fixed such that 1/4 of its part is vertically immersed inside sea water, we can simply visualize the intense vertical push-pull motion of the water and the resultant release and suction of the air column inside the tube. Yes! If a motor/turbine assembly is fixed at the top opening of the tube, the above push-pull of the enclosed air can be very effectively used to rotate the turbine and generate electricity. If you have access to a solid structure or construction somewhere deep in the sea (about 50 meters from the shore) you can well try out this simple experiment of generating electricity from sea water (definitely after taking permission from the relevant authorized bodies). The procedure is as follows: As shown in the adjoining diagram, fix a hollow pipe (as per the specifications provided) suitably using clamps and bolts over the available structure, such that 30% its total length is immersed in the sea water. Now, if keep your palm over the top open outlet of the pipe, you will immediately be able to experience the strong to and fro gushes of air. Take the procured motor/turbine assembly and secure it firmly over the top opening of the pipe as shown in the diagram. The action can be immediately witnessed as the turbine starts rotating in a reverse-forward motion, responding perfectly to the produced air thrusts. But, the above rotation, though powerful, is quite haphazard and not in one direction, and cannot generate a stable voltage. The output will alternately change its polarity, so it becomes difficult to optimize. As usual, electronics is never out of ideas. A simple bridge rectifier can solve the problem. Regardless of the input voltage polarity, a bridge rectifier will always produce a direct current with constant polarity at its output. And, by adding a capacitor and a voltage regulator to it, we can further enhance the voltage quality so that it may be directly connected to a battery for charging. The present set up incorporates the above idea to receive a clean and a continuous power output.

Thus, the whole explained procedure of generating electricity from sea water becomes pretty straight forward. The power generated from such an installation is powerful, permanent, and totally free of cost and maintenance. Imagine, if a government initiative is taken to construct many such units along the entire sea shore, I bet we can completely eliminate the issue of power crisis.

How to Make a Potato Battery

Written by: Swagatam Edited by: Lamar Stonecypher Published May 14, 2010 Related Guides: Zinc School students pursuing science projects are particularly interested in knowing why and how fruits and vegetables conduct electricity. A simple experiment presented here will surely help them understand how to make a potato battery and answer the above questions.

Next up Electricity From Plants

The First Battery

Slide 1 of 3 The answer to your question Why do fruits and vegetables conduct electricity? or rather generate electricity, may be better understood by first peeking into the past and knowing how the concept actually evolved. The famous Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, while studying the anatomy of a frog, accidentally discovered that when the dissected frogs muscles were touched with a charged (with static electricity) metal could agitate the frog and make its ligaments twitch. Another renowned Italian scientist Allesandro Volta was quick to understand the principle acting behind the above phenomena. He realized that there was something inside the frogs flesh which reacted with electricity to produce the twitching effect. He was able to successfully reverse the process and, in fact, produce electricity. It wasnt hard for him to find out that the frogs flesh, which acted like an electrolytic chemical, when brought in contact with two different metals, could generate electricity. He further went on with his research and in 1800 made the first electricity producing battery using two dissimilar metals (zinc and silver) immersed in an electrolyte consisting of sulphuric acid. His experiment may be understood as follows: The electrolyte sulphuric acid used is present as 2H+ and SO42-. The negatively charged sulphate ions (SO42- ) react with the zinc plate or electrode and the hydrogen ions react with the silver electrode producing a potential difference across them. When the two electrodes are connected externally, the circuit becomes completed to initiate the flow of electrons and constitutes the generation of electricity. Hydrogen gas is released during the process as a byproduct. The following chemical reactions are involved in the process: Zinc

Zn Zn2+ + 2eSulphuric acid 2H+ + 2e- H2 From the above discussion, the idea becomes pretty simple to understand: by inserting two dissimilar metals into a chemical substance, electricity can be generated.
Electricity From Plants

Slide 2 of 3

We know that plant and fruit cells internally are made up of various kinds of dissolved minerals in a liquid form constituting the cell sap. This cell sap is present inside all plants, vegetables and fruits, and is ideally suited to conduct electrons and also generate electricity (though quite feebly). This cell sap may be effectively used as an electrolyte, and by introducing two dissimilar metals into its path, a chemical reaction as explained above can be initiated. Lets see how we can answer the question Why do fruits and vegetables conduct electricity? through a simple experiment. You will need the following things for the experiment: A large size healthy and fresh potato A zinc plate (may be derived by stripping off the outer cover of a dead dry cell and cutting it into a thin small strip) A copper plate ( you may use a thick copper wire instead, retrieved from an old transformer or from some other source as desired, the more surface area it carries, the better) A red LED and wire assembly (as shown in the diagram) A couple of alligator clips

Steps to Make a LED Light Up Through a Potato

Slide 3 of 3

The following steps will easily help you to understand how to make a potato battery: Begin by cleaning thoroughly the zinc and the copper metal. It is best done by scrubbing them with an emery paper. Make sure the metals are as clean as possible, free from any external enamel, oxidization or dust particles. Carve out their other ends into pointed or sharp terminals. Now, holding the potato firmly into your left palm, cut through and dig into the pulp of the potato using the sharp ends of each of the metal so that they get fixed into the potato firmly. Make sure that the metals are separated by sufficient distance so as to include maximum amount of pulp in between them. Take a digital multimeter, set it to the millivolt range. Now connect the terminals of the digital multimeter across the copper and the zinc strip. You will be surprised to see a nice little potential difference of at least 0.4 volts developed across them. But using just one potato assembly you wont be able to power an LED because the minimum forward voltage of an LED (red) is around 1.5 volts. The above criteria can be easily fixed by making 3 more such potato assemblies and then connecting them in series as shown in the diagram. Ultimately you should be left with a single free copper strip on the first potato and a single free zinc strip on the last potato. Once you have finished preparing four of the potato circuits, make an LED wire assembly by connecting (preferably by soldering) two pieces of short flexible wires to the LED terminals. Also connect the alligator clips to the other free ends of the wire.

 Now simply attach the alligator clips (cathode to zinc, anode to copper) to the two free metal electrodes of the first and the last potato. You should be immediately able to witness a nice glow on the LED. If possible take the whole assembly to some dark corner of your house to see the illumination more distinctly. The glow may not be sufficiently bright as this potato battery is too primitive in its design and is able to produce power just enough to make the LED glow. Preferably you may try lemons in place of potatoes to get better results, since acidic electrolytes (lemon juice contains citric acid) are ideally suited to generate electricity in the above manner and produce more efficient results. Hopefully the above experiment helped you understand how and why fruits and vegetables conduct electricity.