A systematic study on a micro-thermophotovoltaic power generator with platinum tube

A micro-combustor is one of the most important components in developing the micro-thermophotovoltaic (micro-TPV) power systems. In order to enhance the flame stabilization and to have a bright incandescent emitter, a platinum tube is used to serve as an emitter. However, the operation range of a bright incandescent emitter is limited by the trade of flow rate and fuel concentration. In the present study, a novel combustion chamber design is proposed to overcome the critical heat loss and flame instability in a micro-TPV system by using a percolated platinum tube as catalyst, emitter, and flame stabilizer. Systematic experiments are performed to verify the performance of the proposed percolated-platinum combustor as compared to a plain platinum combustor. The effects of fuel/air distribution and inlet flow rate on the performance of the micro-combustor are reported. Concept, design, and demonstration of the small-scale percolated-platinum combustor for the micro-TPV system are addressed and discussed in the paper.