Study of a thermoelectric generator based on a catalytic premixed meso-scale combustor

In this work a novel catalytic meso-scale combustor fueled with propane/air mixture has been coupled with two conventional thermoelectric modules. The wafer-like combustor is filled with commercially available catalytic pellets of alumina with Platinum (1% weight). Temperature measurements, in terms of point values and 2D distribution across the combustor surfaces, were carried out in different operating conditions. Exhaust gases concentration measurements and pellet aging investigation were performed to determine the combustor efficiency and stability. Starting from these results the combustor has been coupled to bismuth telluride-based thermoelectric modules using a water cooled heat exchanger at the cold side. The system obtained produces 9.86 W of electrical power reaching an overall efficiency up to 2.85%: these results represent an improvement in portable-scale electrical power production from hydrocarbon fuels state-of-art. Moreover, the voltage and current characteristics allow using such generator for small portable devices power supplying.