Micro combustion in a porous media for thermophotovoltaic power generation

The results indicated a reduction in combustion efficiency upon the increment in inlet velocity. It was as a result of reduction in the residence time. The average wall temperature decreased with increase in the solid matrix thermal conductivity. Increment in cell temperature decreased the forbidden band whiles the cut-off wavelength increased. Temperature variation of the PV cell also caused a 35% decline in output power of the system. For any 10 K increase in cell temperature, the cell efficiency and power output reduced by 7% and 0.14 W respectively. A projected electrical output power and power density of the complete system were 2.7W and 0.72W cm-2 respectively when the cell temperature is kept at 300 K and the spacing between the radiant wall and the PVC is 1 mm. The experiment produced 1.703W electrical power which was in consonance with what was predicted with the model.