Thread: How does a thermocouple have enough power to operate a gas valve?
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Bruce Farquhar Bruce Farquhar is offline
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Default How does a thermocouple have enough power to operate a gas valve?
On Mon, 10 Dec 2018 09:22:20 -0000, Tim Streater wrote:

In article , Bruce Farquhar
wrote:

On Sun, 09 Dec 2018 21:40:03 -0000, Rod Speed wrote:

Bruce Farquhar wrote

A thermocouple produces enough to power a spacecraft?!?

It isnt a single thermocouple, it's a thermopile.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermopile
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_in_space

Or just for some small electronics?

Not small at all.

Why are these not used on earth?

Probably not that cheap, once you've made the Pu-238.

Whatever happened to those AA nuclear batteries? I assume they worked the same.
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