Methods of repurposing heat

Abstract

This paper intends to explore the repurposing of waste heat for consumer use. Cogeneration has already been well established in big industry for well over half a century -yet to this day, waste heat generated by consumers remains untapped. Cogeneration is based on the law of conservation of energy: that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be converted between different forms. In this specific experiment, our focus is primarily on the conversions between heat energy and electricity energy. Efforts have been made using Peltier elements, which operate based on the Peltier effect: "an effect whereby heat is emitted or absorbed when an electric current passes across a junction between two materials." Most of these efforts however have been concentrated in refrigeration technology and on the Seebeck effect: "a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances." In essence, the focus has been on thermoelectric cooling and heating rather than power generation. Through testing the effectiveness of the Peltier elements to convert waste heat emitted by common household objects such as computers and power adapters, we have demonstrated the potential of these devices. This practical implementation of Peltier elements is an application of modern physics which hopefully through further work reaches a point where it can impact people's daily lives.