# Wood fired engine for electricity



## adamtheha (Mar 14, 2007)

A few months ago I found something on the internet that could generate power using heat, but no steam was involved. It used the difference in tempurature to generate power, but I can't remember what it was called, and I can't find it again. Does anyone know what this is? It's a very unusual design.


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

Could it have been a Lister engine on wood gas?


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## MELOC (Sep 26, 2005)

sterling engine perhaps? i have no link.


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## John Hill (May 12, 2002)

There are at least two things that produce electricty directly from heat that I know of. 

The thermocouple operates by heating dissimilar metals which are touching each other, the Russians even made domestic valve radios that operated on the heat from an oil lamp. 

Then there is the more modern Seebeck effect devices which are solid state electric junctions that produce electricity from a heat difference, when one side is hotter than the other current flows. Also known as Peltier devices and used in solid state fridges/warmers that you might have in the car on on your boat.


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## WayneR (Mar 26, 2007)

http://listerengine.com/smf/index.php


http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~weinfurt/thermoradio.htm
thermocouple radio DIY-the one at the bottom of the page
the first one is just a reg transistor radio


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## dcross (Aug 12, 2005)

Stirling engine


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## adamtheha (Mar 14, 2007)

Nice, these names are stiring up some memory cells, but I'm not sure if those are the ones. It doesn't produce electricity directly, it produces a mechanical action that could be harnessed to produce electricity. It takes a few minutes to get going, but it keeps going after the fire goes out.


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## Dahc (Feb 14, 2006)

Dahc said:


> There is a way to overcome some maintenance and safety issues concerning steam engines generating electricity, at the cost of some horsepower.
> 
> http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/stirling_generator.htm
> 
> ...


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## solidwoods (Dec 23, 2005)

http://www.gengas.nu/byggbes/index.shtml


Block bldg, fire brick walls, dirt floor, water jacket roof if you need hot water, or fire brick valt construction (3/4" pipe inside with water if you need hot water,, keep the runs short so no water boil), ceramic 8x8 chimney is the chip tube, Use water as a filter.

When the smoke exits the box run it through tall verticle tube (about 6" dia) this will cool the smoke and condense/concentrate it, it also allows water to condense out and be drained.

jim


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