a very interesting technology to convert LENR heat to power
http://www.greentechmedia.com/…dential-Cogeneration-Payo
This is not a new technology :
QuoteThe technology employed by this startup is the alkali-metal thermal-to-electric converter (AMTEC), invented by Ford in the 1960s. (NanoConversion actually purchased the remnants of the Ford technology and is using some of that vintage equipment today.)
It seems applicable to LENR reactors as we see them with Hotcat :
QuoteThe device takes 850°C heat as an input and produces direct current electrical power and thermal heating power at 200°C, at potentially high efficiencies of up to 30 percent, according to Staskus, and when using the heat, over 90 percent. Because it's a closed system, the company claims that it is not subject to the fouling and reliability issues that can afflict fuel cells when contaminants in natural gas compromise the fuel-cell stack and "coke the anode." Because it has no moving parts, it was targeted for 15-year deep space missions with plutonium as the heat source.
Here is the way it works as they describe :
QuoteDisplay More
The device makes use of a thermodynamic cycle of expanding and condensing sodium; the work generated by the expansion of sodium vapor is converted into electric power. Staskus likened it to a fuel cell where the fuel is burned outside of the unit, calling it "a fuel cell that doesn't die."
This is how the company breaks down the device's operation:
Input heat vaporizes sodium
Ion transport through BASE creates DC current
The heat sink condenses sodium and delivers thermal power
The electromagnetic pump returns sodium to the evaporator
a good match for our needs in LENR.
