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can TEG replace alternator high output current

Submitted by jagjitsinghchander on Tue, 2007-11-13 12:22
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I have a doubt that TEG can replace the belt driven alternators used in vehicles.
Because alternators have hight output current ( 50 A as example for small engines of 15 BHP )
Any TEG fixed at the exhaust of 15 BHP engine give 50 A current ?????? can any one explain this

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For an engine as small as 15

Submitted by ITSadmin on Tue, 2007-11-13 13:44.

For an engine as small as 15 HP, you may be right:  50 A is a lot.

Hi-Z Technology has been working on a TEG to put on diesel engines for years.  They list an abstract on their website describing a TEG on a 335 HP Cummins engine.  Here is the full reference:

 A. S. Kushch, J. C. Bass, S. Ghamaty, and N. Elsner, "Thermoelectric development at Hi-Z Technology," presented at XX International Conference on Thermoelectrics: Proceedings ICT2001, Beijing, People's Republic of China, 2001, pp. 422-430.

Basically, they get up to about 1 kW out at 30 V, which is less than your 50 A.  It would be more than 50 A at 12 V.  But the engine is > 20 times your 15 HP engine. 

Just using ratios (very crude)  to scale to 15 HP case gives about 36 Watts (electrical), or 3 A at 12 V.   Or about 50 A at 0.7 V. 

Still, you could get 50 A at a very small voltage.

The point of this application, of course, is that the TEG uses waste heat, while the alternator uses fuel that could have gone to propulsion.  Still, scaling seems to favor larger engines.