The appearance of an emf in conductors when they are heated is described by the Seebeck and Thompson effects. If some part of the surface of a conductor is covered by a pyrotechnical material and ignited, then while the pyrotechnical material is burning and after it has burned, an emf arises at the ends of the conductor. The direction of the emf depends on the location of maximum temperature of the heated section of the conductor. If the heating is terminated for some time and started up again, then the emf and current appear again, with no necessity for re-application of the pyrotechnical material. Conductors of Nichrome, Constantan and tungsten, as well as graphite rods were studied with small sections of the conductors covered with lead azide, black gunpowder, or match-head composition. The current ranged from -5 to 6 microamps, and the emf from -0.4 to 1 millivolt. The effects described can be used to convert thermal energy into electrical energy in sensors, etc.