Application of porous medium burner with micro cogeneration system

This paper investigates the application of porous medium burner (PMB) with micro cogeneration system. Thermoelectric (TE) cells coupled with the PMB constituted the cogeneration system developed in this study. The TE cells attached to the hexagonal walls absorbed the heat of combustion. Experiment was carried out for two different equivalence ratio of 1.3 and 1.6 and the values of maximum flame temperature, CO and NOx emissions were measured. A mobile phone was connected to the TE charger system to demonstrate the ability of the cogeneration system to generate electric power. Results show that the PM (porous medium) burner can be used for heating and cell phone charging. The average surface temperature obtained in this study was 544.8 °C for a flow rate of 0.25 L/min which was similar to that obtained in the simulation. The total voltage output that could be developed by the TE cells was 9.3 V, which dropped to 7 V during charging. Moreover, the values of CO and COu emission decreased as fuel supply increased. In addition, very low NOx emissions were determined in this PMB set up highlighting the usefulness of PMB for domestic burner applications.

► The use of porous medium burner with thermoelectric cells as cogeneration system.
► The design of the PM burner is applicable for portable or outdoor activities.
► The overall thermal efficiency of the PM domestic burner increased.
► Emissions from the PM burner are also acceptable and compliant with ANSI standards.
► The use of 2D numerical modeling for porous media combustion analysis.