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Diagram of an RTG used on the Cassini probe. A radioisotope thermoelectric generator (RTG, RITEG), sometimes referred to as a radioisotope power system (RPS), is a type of nuclear battery that uses an array of thermocouples to convert the heat released by the decay of a suitable radioactive material into electricity by the Seebeck effect.
In general, heat pumps work most efficiently (that is, the heat output produced for a given energy input) when the difference between the heat source and the heat sink is small. When using a heat pump for space or water heating, therefore, the heat pump will be most efficient in mild conditions, and decline in efficiency on very cold days.
The battery's polarity reverses and the anode becomes the cathode and vice versa. [ 1 ] The system's power density was some maximum power density of 60+-3 1 W m −2 (based on a single electrode), with a maximum energy density of 453 W h m −3 (normalized to the electrolyte volume), substantially higher than that of other liquid-centered ...
These first Heisler–Gröber charts were based upon the first term of the exact Fourier series solution for an infinite plane wall: (,) = = [ + ], [1]where T i is the initial uniform temperature of the slab, T ∞ is the constant environmental temperature imposed at the boundary, x is the location in the plane wall, λ is the root of λ * tan λ = Bi, and α is thermal diffusivity.
A thermostat exerts control by switching heating or cooling devices on or off, or by regulating the flow of a heat transfer fluid as needed, to maintain the correct temperature. A thermostat can often be the main control unit for a heating or cooling system, in applications ranging from ambient air control to automotive coolant control.
A load bank is a piece of electrical test equipment used to simulate an electrical load, to test an electric power source without connecting it to its normal operating load. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] During testing, adjustment, calibration, or verification procedures, a load bank is connected to the output of a power source, such as an electric generator ...
Some thermal batteries also involve causing a substance to transition thermally through a phase transition which causes even more energy to be stored and released due to the delta enthalpy of fusion or delta enthalpy of vaporization. Thermal batteries are very common, and include such familiar items as a hot water bottle. Early examples of ...
Once the optimum operating temperature is reached, the thermostat progressively increases or decreases its opening in response to temperature changes, dynamically balancing the coolant recirculation flow and coolant flow to the radiator to maintain the engine temperature in the optimum range as engine heat output, vehicle speed, and outside ...