That is exactly what we are doing in the upper end of that efficiency range (turbochargers, turbine generators, heater cores) - the waste heat from that is unharvestable (exhaust gas, engine core heat).
Yea, combined cycle gas turbine power plants are pushing above 60% efficiency. They use the waste heat from the turbine exhaust to generate steam and then extract energy from there. About as good as it gets.
Cars could be a lot better if emissions wasn’t a concern.
Petrol is super cheap, because the only thing you can really do with it is burn it for energy.
That and you waste 60-90 percent of that energy potential as heat.
What if we harvest that heat for energy
That is exactly what we are doing in the upper end of that efficiency range (turbochargers, turbine generators, heater cores) - the waste heat from that is unharvestable (exhaust gas, engine core heat).
Yea, combined cycle gas turbine power plants are pushing above 60% efficiency. They use the waste heat from the turbine exhaust to generate steam and then extract energy from there. About as good as it gets.
Cars could be a lot better if emissions wasn’t a concern.