The ExB Thermoelectric Effect Bypasses the Second Law

Abstract: The ExB thermoelectric effect is CPT symmetric. It falls outside the box defined by the second law as stated by the H-Theorems of Boltzmann, Tolman Gibbs and von Neumann because it breaks the microscopic scale time symmetry assumption they made. Its transport mechanism is the ExB drift which, unlike other thermoelectric effects, requires neither a temperature difference nor a heat sink. It relies on perpendicular E and B fields to drive charged carriers perpendicularly to both fields, bias their velocity distribution, and produce a current. The energy driving this current is thermal energy of the material, replenished from a heat source at room temperature. The ExB thermoelectric effect achieves a thermodynamic efficiency of unity because all input heat is converted to electrical energy. This paper focuses on the thermodynamic foundation of the ExB thermoelectric effect, and on the design of a device optimized for maximum power output. Maximizing power output requires: 1) mismatching contributions to the current made by electrons and holes; 2) matching Hall, Drude and load resistances; and 3) operating at the thermodynamic threshold which is the point where the asymmetry characteristic length associated with the ExB drift equals the symmetry characteristic length due to the mean free path. Specifications for fabricating a device are provided. A fully optimized InAs device operating 24/7, using ambient heat at 300K, running at 250K, with a magnetic field of 1.07T, can produce up to 1337 mW/mm2 or as much as 3967 times the Shockley–Queisser solar cell limit of 0.337 mW/mm2