On Mar. 27, 2013, Roger Stout, P.E. of ON Semiconductor presented a live webinar, “What Burns Me Up.”
Overview: Thermal errors, misconceptions and oversights occur on all levels; from semiconductor packaging, thermocouple theory, and infrared imaging; to cold fusion calorimetry and hot dense-plasma-focus fusion reactor design; to energy efficient architecture, plumbing and electric vehicle charging equipment; to perpetual motion machines and global warming.
In this somewhat whimsical presentation, the author will draw on examples he has encountered over the thirty-plus years of his career as a mechanical engineer and specialist in heat transfer and energy systems. If there’s a moral to be found here, it’s that entire world, and the electronics industry in particular, needs better thermal education.
Question and Answer Session
Question: You referred to the sun delivering as much energy in an hour as humankind uses in a year, but then you started talking about power consumption. Aren’t you confusing energy and power?
To view the answer, click here.
Question: You suggested that we are already using as much total energy as we could harvest from all solar sources combined. Aren’t you being a tad pessimistic?
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Question: You mentioned using only the top 100 m of ocean depth when considering how much the temperature could go up in a century? Isn’t that an oversimplification? Besides, average ocean depth is something like several km, isn’t it?
To view the answer, click here.
Question: Did You Say Thermionic Coolers are Perpetual Motion Machines?
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Question: Was your dome house more expensive to build than conventional construction?
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Question: You said your 5 kW solar panels have produced more power than you’ve used in your electric car, but not more than your dome house. How much of your house energy consumption did they produce?
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Question: I didn’t understand what you were getting at with those “normalized transient thermal response” curves? Can you be more clear?
To view the answer, click here.
Question: I thought power density (W/sq.mm) went up at the rate of Moore’s Law? Are you saying it doesn’t?
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Question: I’ve never heard that about not needing to adjust hot-wire anemometer reading for elevated temperatures. Why not?
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