Power generation performance of hydrogen-fueled micro thermophotovoltaic reactor

A tubular platinum reactor with a perforated annular array enables fuel/air mixtures to exchange sides, thus sustaining flames and preventing heat loss. Consequently, the combustion efficiency and operational range can be enhanced. A hydrogen/air mixture was introduced into inner and outer chambers at different equivalence ratios and flow velocities to chemically and physically investigate the interplay between the chambers. The benefits of hydrogen include a high gravimetric heating value, flame speed, and diffusion capacity and short chemical reaction time. The coexistence of heterogeneous (surface) and homogeneous (gas) reactions in the micro TPV reactor was examined and elucidated in terms of aerodynamics, mass and heat transfer, and chemical reactivity. Furthermore, a TPV reactor with TPV cell arrays was assembled, and the corresponding radiant efficiency of the emitter and the overall efficiency of the proposed micro TPV system were determined in this study. (C) 2017 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.