Direct energy conversion of heat to electricity using AMTEC
Former renewable technologies, which did not prosper at that time due to engineering and material limitations, emerge once again, as in the case of the Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric Converter (AMTEC). This energy converter transforms heat to electricity through an electrochemical process at high temperature (700 - 1000 °C). At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) an AMTEC test cell and an AMTEC TEst FAcility (ATEFA) have been designed and are under construction. The paper gives an overview of the history of AMTEC converter and its development; and presents the ATEFA facility included its latest progress in design and construction. In addition, a scoping study on the stability of PEEK polymer compound in liquid sodium environment was started and is reported.
Simulation and analysis of time-dependent degradation behavior of AMTEC
Abstract Alkali metal thermal-to-electric converter (AMTEC) technology is ideally suited for a wide range of applications from space, aerospace and military to domestic and other terrestrial civilian applications. In spite of its many advantages, existing AMTEC technology has some drawbacks that prevent the realization of the full potential of the technology. The problem is that the cell efficiency is still below its theoretically achievable value, and the cell has an adverse power-time characteristic. The maximum power output of the cell was observed to decrease from 2.54 W at the end of 172 h to 1.27 W during its 18,000 h of cell operation. This problem may preclude the use of the cell for applications that require operation of the cell for long periods of time. This paper deals with the factors responsible for this degradation and discusses in detail the simulation model used to study and predict the performance of the cell as a function of time. It is shown that the β-alumina solid electrolyte is a major cause of this degradation and a model to simulate its performance is developed and compared with available experimental data to establish the role of the electrolyte.
EL TRATAMIENTO NEOPRAGMATISTA DE LA VERDAD EN RICHARD RORTY NEOPRAGMATIST TREATMENT OF TRUTH IN RICHARD RORTY
Richard Rorty, one of the most influential authors of our time, presents a critique of the philosophical concept of truth as correspondence. The conclusion of Rorty's neopragmatism is that the idea of truth as correspondence between language and facts is ineffective because it no longer works. The neopragmatist conception of truth indicates the only possible uses for the term «truthful,» revolving around the idea of jus - tification. In this article, the neopragmatist notion of truth is presented in order to