Thermal performance of a meso-scale liquid-fuel combustor

Combustion in small scale devices poses significant challenges due to the quenching of reactions from wall heat losses as well as the significantly reduced time available for mixing and combustion. In the case of liquid fuels there are additional challenges related to atomization, vaporization and mixing with the oxidant in the very short time-scale liquid-fuel combustor. The liquid fuel employed here is methanol with air as the oxidizer. The combustor was designed based on the heat recirculating concept wherein the incoming reactants are preheated by the combustion products through heat exchange occurring via combustor walls. The combustor was fabricated from Zirconium phosphate, a ceramic with very low thermal conductivity (0.8 W m−1 K−1). The combustor had rectangular shaped double spiral geometry with combustion chamber in the center of the spiral formed by inlet and exhaust channels. Methanol and air were introduced immediately upstream at inlet of the combustor. The preheated walls of the inlet channel also act as a pre-vaporizer for liquid fuel which vaporizes the liquid fuel and then mixes with air prior to the fuel–air mixture reaching the combustion chamber. Rapid pre-vaporization of the liquid fuel by the hot narrow channel walls eliminated the necessity for a fuel atomizer. Self-sustained combustion of methanol–air was achieved in a chamber volume as small as 32.6 mm3. The results showed stable combustion under fuel-rich conditions. High reactant preheat temperatures (675 K–825 K) were obtained; however, the product temperatures measured at the exhaust were on the lower side (475 K–615 K). The estimated combustor heat load was in the range 50 W–280 W and maximum power density of about 8.5 GW/m3. This is very high when compared to macro-scale combustors. Overall energy efficiency of the combustor was estimated to be in the range of 12–20%. This suggests further scope of improvements in fuel–air mixing and mixture preparation.

Research highlights
► Demonstrated successful combustion of liquid fuel-air mixtures in a novel meso-scale combustor.
► Flame quenching was eliminated using heat recirculation in a swiss roll type combustor that also extended the flammability limits.
► Liquid fuel was rapidly vaporized with the use of hot narrow channel walls that eliminated the need of a fuel atomizer.
► Maximum power density of the combustor was estimated to be about 8.5 GW/m3 and heat load in the range of 50-280W.
► Overall efficiency of the combustor was estimated in the range of 12 to 20%.