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/sci/ - Science & Math

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10505396 No.10505396 [Reply] [Original]

pls explain to a brainlet how heat is converted into electricity. i tried to google it but it's too complicated for my sub 80 IQ

>> No.10505401

>>10505396
Directly, or how we normally do it in power plants?

>> No.10505403

>>10505396
Easiest way? You heat up some water, which makes it move, which turns a turbine. A simple electrical turbine can be built using wire wrapped around nails: same design as a simple electrical motor.

>> No.10505405

>>10505396
Researching dynamos may be a helpful start.

>> No.10505408

>>10505396
ever heard of a piston?

>> No.10505413

>>10505401
The direct way is some semiconductor pairs, when touching, can either be given power and one side will get hot and the other cool, or you can heat one side and cool the other and a voltage differential will occur from the end of one material to the end of the other material. The explanation: Quantum Shit.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermoelectric_effect
We really only use this for certain kinds of space probes and the new large rovers on Mars, because there's no better, simpler way to power them.
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radioisotope_thermoelectric_generator

The normal way we generate power is to heat water into steam, and then let that steam out to try to expand with a turbine in the way. The steam is at very high pressure and will move toward an area of lower pressure, and it can move anything in the way with a lot of force. The turbine is in the way, and it is moved by the steam. The moving turbine then spins a big fucking magnet surrounded by electrical windings (this whole thing is called a Dynamo), and that produces an electric current.

>> No.10505434

>>10505413
Adding to what he said, there's also a third way of sorts, the Pyroeletricity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyroelectricity

>> No.10505440

>>10505434
You just reminded me of Piezoelectricity
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piezoelectricity
Hit some materials and they generate a voltage while they're deformed. A lot of microphones use this to convert sound waves into electrical signals.

>> No.10505448

>>10505440
Ironically, I couldn't remember the name of the effect and just googled "thermal Piezoelectricity". They are very similar indeed conceptually wise.

>> No.10505455

reminder: electric currents’ energy is just kinetic energy. if you believe in steam engines then the question is trivial

>> No.10505467

>>10505396
heat -> mechanical work -> dynamo -> ??? -> electricity

>> No.10505473

>>10505413
>>10505405
>>10505467
does anyone understand how Dynamos actually work?

>> No.10505478

>>10505467
>>10505473
yes, look up Faraday’s law

>> No.10505490

>>10505467
??? = Magnetic fields can push on electrons. It's like a water pump: the field pushes on the electrons, and every other electron in the system is pushed too. If I'm remembering my physics courses right, you can actually track how slowly the electrons themselves move within the conductors and it's not as fast as you would think; the change in the "pressure" is important (voltage is analogous to hydraulic pressure, current is like volumetric flow rate, and charge is how much water there is).
This is one of the interesting comparisons:
>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_analogy
The cool thing about this is you can simulate mechanical systems with analog electronics. This is how early rocket designs were simulated: with analog electrical components.

>> No.10505494

>>10505490
The other cool thing is you could technically make a computer out of nothing but hydraulic components. It would be pretty fucking huge though.

>> No.10505647

>>10505396
Heat from combustion is used to heat up some substance. This substance then expands, applying a force or a pressure onto its walls. If the walls are not rigid, the pressure pushes the walls to make movement. Usually this wall is then connected to an electric turbine. Because the wall is moving, the electric turbine is moving which utilizes faraday's law of induction to create an electrical current.

>> No.10505677

>>10505490
>>10505494
that is very fucking cool anon.