Microscale combustion research for microthermophotovoltaic systems

Abstract

A novel power MEMS concept, a micro thermophotovoltaic (TPV) system, is described in this work, which would use hydrogen as fuel and would be capable of delivering 1-10 W electrical power in a package less than 1 cubic centimeter in volume. A micro combustor is one of the most important components of a micro TPV system. A high and uniform temperature distribution along the wall of a micro combustor is required to get a high electrical power output. However, sustaining combustion in a MEMS-sized combustor will be largely affected by the increased heat losses due to the high surface-to-volume ratio, which tends to suppress ignition and quench the reaction. In order to test the feasibility of combustion in micro devices and determine relevant factors affecting micro combustion, numerical and experimental work was carried out. Results indicated that a high and uniform temperature could be achieved along the wall of a flame tube. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.