What is claimed is:
1. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit
with controllable electric output comprising:
a) two dissimilar metal segments means joined to form a helix in a continuous loop in said unit,
b) a heating and cooling means to heat and cool alternate junctions of said metal segments means, thereby causing current flow and generation of a first magnetic field contained in said continuous loop;
c) a flux pump means with connections to said continuous loop to inject additional current into said current flow thereby increasing strength of said first magnetic field in said unit;
d) a switching means and output connection means located in said continuous loop with said output connection means located on either side of said switching means with said switching means controllably operable in fractions of a second and operating to discharge current into said output connections when said output connections are electrically connected to a load.
2. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 1 wherein said switching means comprises one of said segments in said continuous loop with means to induce a second magnetic field in said one of said segments at right angles to said current flow in said continuous loop thereby causing a potential difference across said segment, said potential difference may be varied by varying said second magnetic field thereby allowing withdrawal of a variable amount of energy through said output connections.
3. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 1 wherein said output connection means from each of a multiplicity of said continuous loops are connected together to form said unit.
4. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 2 wherein said means to induce said second magnetic field in said segment is microprocessor controlled.
5. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 1 wherein said two dissimilar metal segment means are nickel and copper.
6. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output comprising:
a) two dissimilar metal segment means consisting of copper and nickel metallically joined to form alternate junctions and to form a minimum of one continuous loop in a torus shape and with open projections from said dissimilar segment means shaped to form a continuous heating channel means and a continuous cooling channel means, with electrical insulation between parts of said segments forming said heating channel means and said cooling channel means;
b) a heating and cooling means in said continuous channel means to heat and cool alternate ones of said junctions formed, thereby causing current to flow and generate a magnetic field in said unit;
c) a flux pump means with connections to inject additional current into said current flow thereby increasing the strength of said magnetic field and said magnetic energy storage capacity;
d) a means for instantaneously and controllably electrically disconnecting one of said segments in said loop;
f) output leads located one either side of said means for electrically disconnecting said one of said segments;
g) a control means to control said means for electrically disconnecting said one of said segments and for operating switches in said output leads.
7. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 1 wherein a first one of said two dissimilar metal segments is chosen from a group comprising copper, aluminum, brass, iron, silver and gold and a second one of said two dissimilar metals is chosen from a group comprising nickel, constantan and bismuth.
8. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 1 wherein an iron core means placed inside said segments to form said helix in said continuous loop acts to allow an increase in energy stored in said continuous loop when said segments are alternately heated and cooled and said flux pump means injects additional current into said loop.
9. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 5 further comprising a perforated ceramic thermal insulation means acting to thermally partially separate each half of each of said copper segment means to reduce heat flow and offer minimal resistance to electrical flow.
10. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 6 wherein said means for electrically disconnecting said one of said segments comprises one of said nickel segment means producing current flow and an integral part of said torus but modified to have a nickel plug separating two halves of said one of said nickel segment means, said nickel plug being removable by impact from a solenoid arrangement.
11. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output comprising:
a) a copper segment means and a nickel segment means conductively joined to form alternate junctions and to form a minimum of one torus and with said copper segment means and said nickel segment means shaped to form a continuous heating channel means and a continuous cooling channel means with electrical insulation between parts of said segments forming said heating channel means and said cooling channel means;
b) a heating and cooling means in said continuous channel means to heat and cool said alternate junctions formed; thereby causing current flow and generate a magnetic field in said unit;
c) a flux pump means with connections to inject additional current into said current flow thereby increasing the strength of said magnetic field and said magnetic energy storage capacity;
d) a minimum of one of a first type variable switch means to withdraw alternating current from said torus;
e) a minimum of one of a second type variable switch means to withdraw direct current from said torus;
f) output leads located one either side of each of said switch means;
g) a control means to control activation of each of said first type and said second type partial switch means and for operating switches in said output leads.
12. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 11 wherein said first type variable switch means is a Colpitts Oscillator means acting to impress a controllable strength magnetic field of changing polarity across one of said nickel segments at right angles to said current flow in said torus thereby producing an alternating current through said output leads when said output leads are connected to a load.
13. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output as in claim 11 wherein said second type variable switch means comprises a controllable circuit means acting to impress a controllable strength magnetic field of continuous non-changing polarity across one of said nickel segments at right angles to said current flow in said torus thereby producing said direct current to flow through said output leads when said output leads are connected to a load.
14. A thermoelectric generator and magnetic energy storage unit with controllable electric output comprising:
a) a multiplicity of tori each formed of two dissimilar metal segment means joined to form alternate junctions;
b) a heating and cooling means to heat and cool said alternate junctions of said segments; thereby causing current flow and generation of a first magnetic field contained in each of said tori;
c) a flux pump means with connections to each of said tori to inject additional current into said current flow thereby increasing strength of said first magnetic field in said unit;
d) a switching means and output connection means located in each of said tori with said output connection means located on either side of said switching means, said switching means being controllably operable in fractions of a second and operating to discharge current into said output connections when said output connections are electrically connected to a load.
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