Effects of major parameters on micro-combustion for thermophotovoltaic energy conversion

For a micro-thermophotovoltaic (TPV) energy conversion device, high surface to volume ratio in the micro-combustor provides a great potential to achieve high surface radiation power output per unit energy input. This work investigated experimentally the effects of three major parameters on micro-combustion, namely hydrogen to oxygen mixing ratio, nozzle to combustor diameter ratio, and wall thickness to combustor diameter ratio. The results show that the high average wall temperature can be achieved at slightly oxygen rich mixing ratios. Nozzle to combustor diameter ratio affects both the magnitude and uniformity of wall temperature distribution. The newly designed thin wall combustor which yields a reduction of axial heat conduction loss is able to increase wall temperature more than 150 K. Optimized design of these parameters will have significant impact on the enhancement of radiation heat output in micro-TPV energy conversion.