Porous media combustion for micro thermophotovoltaic system applications

The micro combustor is the key component of the micro TPV power generator. To obtain high power density and performance efficiency, it is important for a micro combustor to achieve a high and uniform temperature distribution along the wall. In this paper, we compare the performance of a micro cylindrical combustor with and without employing porous media. Results indicate that packing the combustor with porous media can significantly enhance the heat transfer between the high temperature combustion products and the emitter wall. The use of porous media increases the contact area thereby increasing the temperature along the wall of the micro combustor resulting in an increase in its radiation energy. The effects of some parameters on radiation energy of the micro combustor are also highlighted. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.