Experimental study on micro modular combustor for micro-thermophotovoltaic system application

As one of the key components of micro modular thermophotovoltaic power generators, every micro combustor should be able to produce a high and uniform temperature distribution on the surface. In this work, three micro modular combustors with different fuel supply systems were designed and tested. The results indicated that the in-line design with only one fuel supply tube could not equally distribute H2/air mixture to every combustor. The wall temperatures of the two central combustors were obviously higher than the two side combustors. However, both the in-line design with two fuel supply tubes and the parallel design could equally deliver the fuel/air mixture to every combustor, and an uniform temperature distribution could be obtained for every combustor. The total radiation energy and radiation efficiency of the micro modular combustors were also calculated for various flow speeds and H2/air equivalence ratios. A radiation efficiency of 27.3% could be achieved when the H2/air equivalence ratio was 0.8 and the flow speed was 6 m/s.

► Three different micro modular combustors are designed and tested.
► The fuel/air mixture can be equally distributed to every combustor by properly designing the fuel supply system.
► A radiation energy of 181.2 W can be obtained from the micro combustor.
► A radiation efficiency of up to 27.3% can be achieved from the micro combustor.