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What I'm interested in TEGs for is to power a TEC air conditioner. Wouldn't need enough TEGs to replace the alternator, just enough to be chillin' some antifreeze+water.
Concept is to mount an AC condensor in the usual place but pump engine coolant through it and through heat exchanger blocks on both sides of some TECs. Valves would separate the coolant into two loops, one between the TECs hot side and the condensor, the other between the TECs cold side and the heater core inside the cab of my 1982 GMC truck.
For winter use the valves would cut out the TECs unit and re-route through the heater core normally. The condensor could be cut in as an additional radiator if needed for extra cooling when the truck has a heavy load.
I suspect one of the newer style condensors with the flat tubes that have many small channels would work better than the old style with the about 0.25" round tube.
If it could keep summer heat in the cab down any at all, it'd be useful. The cooled air would all be going out onto the floor since the truck has none of the ductwork and vents that came with factory AC.
There's a huge amount of room under the hood and the bed of the truck, unlike the 1991 Chevy pickup where the drivetrain came from. Best part of such a setup is the cooling would be 'free', no efficiency impact on the engine aside from the tiny amount of power draw for a couple of electric pumps to circulate the fluid.
Would connecting the TEGs in parallel with the alternator help lower its load or would that do nothing?
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