The Thermoelectric Generator utilizes the temperature differential between very hot air and very cold air to generate electricity. What creates the hot air isn't important - a burn chamber specific to the purpose can be used, or hot gases pumped out of another area. Cold air, meanwhile, is created by passing air through cooling tubes located in space.
Although it's usually the last power source people set up if not automatically connected to another power source, it's otherwise the only power source that can be accessed by Atmospherics, as they are responsible for piping systems and are most familiar with setting up burn chambers, should the situation call for it.
The generator is a three-piece machinery item that consists of a generator in the center, and two circulators on either side. Extras can be ordered from cargo. Thermoelectric generators output power based on:
While the 'hot' side and 'cold' side does not matter, the loops need to be very different in temperature. Their mols and pressure do not affect output, though may be significant to your build.
A working thermoelectric generator consists of:
Ships with a pre-fabricated Thermoelectric Generator are quite useful, as with very little effort and a negligible amount of risk, you can gain outputs of 5.75+ MW (or 1 KW per degree of difference between the two pipes.) Assuming a typical set-up involving a pre-built burn chamber:
Like any engine, the Thermoelectric Generator requires regular maintenance. As your hot loop begins to cool, output will lower. It will take about half an hour for your output to die down fully.
Rebooting the generator is a simple process.
The most common cause of zero power output is flooding the hot loop. Standard volume pumps stop working at 9,000 kPa so if the hot loop goes above that threshold, the TEG will stop producing power entirely. Opening the bypass valve will reduce the pressure but will also reduce the temperature of the hot loop substantially. A better solution is to replace the bypass valve with a gas pump and pump hot gas into the cold loop until the hot loop goes back below 9000 kPa. Do not worry about warming up the cold loop as it has a cooling loop in space, any hot gas pumped into it will very quickly be cooled down to cryogenic temperatures.
A word of warning: when the ship is parked planetside or traveling through a gas giant, most of the thermoelectric generators will suffer drastic power reduction or may even shut down (as the cold loops that normally stay frosty in space instead get heated to the temperature of the outside atmosphere). This should be no problem as long as your crew is prepared and has alternate engines available.
This is another way to set up the TEG so it produces power, and requires little attention afterwards.
This TEG setup is for those who want to set up the power once and never touch it again. This setup takes about 5 to 10 minutes if done by a skilled atmos tech. It is also great for people who want to make a lot of power in a short amount of time since at start-up this TEG makes 10 to 20 mega watts. And this TEG does not suffer from clogging in the cold loop, since there are no pumps to move the air, but a gas chamber, the air is able to move much faster, and at greater volume than the traditional setup.
If the round continues long enough that this TEG starts to lose power, simply put more fuel into the Burn Chamber.
Either scrub out the CO2 inside the chamber with Atmos Automation Console, or open the secure doors to space.
Connect 2 phoron, and 2 oxygen canisters to the fuel line.
Inject the fuel, and let the chamber heat up again.
You can increase your power significantly (up to 300% efficiency with linear growth based on your flow capacity) by adding space lubricant from chemistry to each circulator, which can hold up to 25u. Be careful not to spill it, as it is somewhat dangerous on the floor. As long as there is at least some lube left in the generator it will retain the bonus.
Over time, the lube will turn into toxic waste based on how hard your TEG is working. It converts at a 5:1 ratio, so 25u space lubricant will become 5u toxic waste. Toxic waste doesn't damage the circulators, but the reduction in lubricant will reduce efficiency.
To cancel out the waste and make room for more lube, pour in ethanol from your provided ethanol tank. It will cancel out the waste at a 1:1 ratio, so pour in only exactly as much is needed. If you accidentally spill something else inside, you'll need a dropper to remove it from the circulator.
Engine oil is an acceptable substitute for space lubricant, though it only boosts efficiency by half as much as space lubricant.
Your objective is to create a loop that will generate very cold phoron, but it doesn't need to hold much phoron. Phoron is used because it has a very high specific heat. A cold loop requires no upkeep and shouldn't need to be purged. There is nothing gained by increasing the mols in this loop, so hooking it into a gas miner will not provide an advantage.
With cooled phoron, less is more. Eight thermal plates are more than enough to keep your gas perfectly chilled. You can stack north and south thermal plates on the same layer, for a total of eight. This saves space and makes a smaller target site for stray meteors or missiles. Use one of the layers to connect the top to the bottom.
There are two main ways of designing a hot loop, both of which involve building a burn chamber.
In either case, the temperature transfer caused by the thermoelectric generator will eventually cause your hot loop to become cold, because your heat generated by a fire is finite, compared to the infinite coldness of space.
Consider these other designs when building your heating chamber: