Thermoelectric Options for Biomass Safety?

Steamback

Just curious if anyone has tried using thermoelectric devices attached to biomass units like woodstoves or wood boilers to produce the backup power needed for safety and heat dumping?

If so, what did you use? Are they manufactured in volume or specialty units?

I'm trying to draw up a schematic for a tiny home using a wood cookstove with hot water coil to a large buffer tank and am not sure if passive techniques will work in this situation. Cost is a somewhat minor issue, if done right the heat output from the biomass device would power the safety's and therefore no bad failure could happen on a biomass unit in relation to over temperature.

Jamie Hall

You will have to consider how much power your safeties would require vs. how much power you can extract from the heat of your woodstove. I presume you are thinking in terms of an expansion of the idea of the cute little fans? Only perhaps powering pumps and valves and perhaps a damper? Thermoelectric (Seebeck effect) generators are available -- this company makes them, for instance:
https://thermoelectric-generator.com/teg-thermoelectric-power-generators-for-sale/

Certain types of safeties, such as dampers, might better be controlled with bimetal units -- flat or coiled (Vermont Castings stoves and some others use them) rather than some sort of gee-whiz electrics. Pumps, however, such as might be used for a heat dump, take a fair amount of power and might present some problems getting enough power directly.

It would be possible to set a system up using TEGs charging a battery bank, with appropriate controls to activate pumps and valves... interesting project.

hot_rod

Thermostatic safeties are common on Euro solid fueled heaters

Some close off air supply, some relieve and add cool water, some allow thermosiphon.
Or a small computer backup power supply could buy you some time.

Steamback

Thanks, guys.

Solid_Fuel_Man

I don't think it would be feasible to run a pump with a thermo-electric generator as Jamie said.

Can't be arranged to thermo-syphon?