>All non absolute zero solids/liquids/liquids(etc) exibit physical
>movement of their atoms (and molecules).  This is actually visible to
>the naked eye as in famous "Brownian motion" where smoke particles are
>observed in a microscope and seen to eratically change velocity and
>direction due to colisions with other atoms/(&bigger stuff)
>
>Now consider a micro engineered surface, using modern integrated circuit
>construction techniques it should be possible to produce a micro array
>of piezo electric "bumper zones" connected to microengineered full wave
>bridge rectifiers.   The rectifier's DC outputs may then be grouped as
>applicable to build the required output voltage/current.
>
>Any motion against above surface will result in:
>1) damping of such motion by piezoelectric bumpers such that rebound
>energy is reduced.
>2) output of electrical energy from piezoelectric bumpers available in
>proportion to heat energy recieved at surface.
>
>Surface may exibit other properties also such as "stickyness" and
>acoustic damping and is liable to cause icing and reduced effectiveness
>in some applications.
>
>regards,
>G.D


Has vague resonances of Maxwell's demon :-)
Maxwell noted that gases have statistically distributed high and low energy
particles with a mean average energy. If, he said, some demon could separate
these, one could get heating and cooling at no extra cost. Then he failed to
make the step required to realise that it CAN be done. Its called a Hilsch
vortex tube or a Wiebel Rohr or a vortex tube or ... - mentioned here in
passing a year or so ago.

Briefly, take a long pipe and block it at about the midpoint with a wall.
Make a small central hole in the wall. Introduce air tangentially into the
pipe next to the mid point wall. Throttle the air flow out of the side that
the air is introduced into so that SOME of the air will tend to flow through
the hole and out the other open pipe end. (Actually slightly more complex
than this in practice but not very much so).

The air coming out the throttled end is noticeably hotter (up to around 100
kelvins hotter). The air coming out the end which is fed via the central
hole is noticeably cooler - up to about 50 kelvins typically depending on
hot/cold split. Several somewhat incompatible theories explain this device
rather well.

Unlike Graham's device above, this one does need a net energy input. And,
no, it cant be used regeneratively to give successively lower temperatures
(unfortunately).



RM