Research on Combustion Process in a Novel Microcombustor with Block Inserts

DOI: 10.1615/IHTC15.cmb.008615
pages 1323-1330

Wenming Yang
National University of Singapore

D.Y. Jiang
National University of Singapore, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Kian Jon Ernest Chua
National University of Singapore

Y .K. Chua
National University of Singapore, Department of Mechanical Engineering

KEY WORDS: Combustion, Radiation, micro combustor, block insert

Abstract

Microcombustor is one of the most important components of various micro power generators. For micro-TPV system application, a high and uniform temperature distribution is necessary. In this work, a novel microcombustor with block insert is presented. The impact of the insert block on combustion process in the microcombustor and wall temperature distribution is investigated. The results indicate that the employment of an insert block can accelerate the combustion process, change the flow pattern and enhance the heat transfer between the wall and the hot , resulting in a higher wall temperature. Furthermore, the design of the insert block has a significant impact on the wall temperature distribution. For example, when the gap height is fixed, with the insert block shifts away from the inlet of the combustor till 8 mm, the temperature distribution becomes more uniform. When the gap length is about 4 mm, the mean wall temperature has the highest value. On the other hand, when the distance from the inlet to the insert block is fixed at 2 mm, as the gap height is 0.4 mm, the mean wall temperature has the highest value.