Development and investigation of a non-catalytic self-aspirating meso-scale premixed burner integrated thermoelectric power generator

Portable electrical power generation using hydrocarbons presents significant potential owing to their higher power densities and negative environmental factors associated with chemical cell batteries. Small scale combustors have been widely developed and tested for power generation purposes, employing thermoelectrics and thermo-photovoltaic conversion of combustion heat into electricity. This experimental study is concerned with development and investigation of a novel non-catalytic meso-scale self-aspirating premixed burner with integrated thermoelectric generator which can be used in remote places to generate electricity for a continuous period of one month. Flame stabilisation has been one of the main issues in small scale combustion systems due to higher surface to volume ratio associated with small size of the combustor. Previous research has shown that catalytic combustion is one way of improving flame stabilisation, however employing a catalyst into the system increases the manufacturing cost which can be a significant downside. This research work studies flame stabilisation mechanisms in meso-scale burner which mainly focuses on backward facing step and secondary air addition into the combustion chamber. The first phase of the research was involved development of the burner which included optimisation of the design to achieve a stable enclosed premixed flame as per the design and operational requirements. The second phase of the research focused on the integration of the burner with thermoelectric power generators. This involved investigation of various configurations to optimise the electrical power output when limited amount of heat is available. The relationship between ambient temperature and thermoelectric power generation using an environmentally controlled chamber has also been presented in this experimental study.