Keywords

Combustion, catalysts, porous media, perovskites, power generation, thermoelectrics

Abstract

A combustion chamber incorporating a high temperature porous matrix was design and tested. The effects and merits of combining combustion on porous media and catalytic enhancement were explored, in addition to the proof of concept of integrating these technologies with simple heat engines, such as thermoelectric generators, to generate efficient and reliable power. The direct observation of the flame during the combustion becomes possible due to a specially designed stainless steel chamber incorporating a quartz window where the initiation and propagation of the combustion reaction/flame was directly visible. The simple design of the combustion chamber allowed for a series of thermocouples to be arranged on the central axis of the porous media. With the thermocouples as output and two flow controllers controlling the volumetric flow of fuel and air as input, it was possible to explore the behavior of the flame at different volumetric flow ranges and fuel to air ratios. Additionally the design allowed for thermoelectric modules to be placed in the walls of the combustion chamber. Using combustion as a heat source and passive fins for cooling, the device was able to generate enough power to power a small portable electronic device. The effects of La-Sr-Fe-Cr-Ru based perovskite catalysts, on matrix stabilized combustion in a porous ceramic media were also explored. Highly porous silicon carbide ceramics are used as a porous media for a catalytically enhanced superadiabatic combustion of a lean mixture of methane and air. Perovskite catalytic enhancement of SiC porous matrix with La0.75Sr0.25Fe0.6Cr0.35Ru0.05O3, La0.75Sr0.25Fe0.6Cr0.4O3, La0.75Sr0.25Fe0.95Ru0.05O3, La0.75Sr0.05Cr0.95Ru0.05O3, and LaFe0.95Ru0.05O3 were used to enhance combustion. The flammability limits of the combustion of methane and air were explored using both inert and catalytically enhanced surfaces of the porous ceramic media. By coating the SiC porous media with perovskite catalysts it was possible to lower the minimum stable equivalence ratio and achieve more efficient combustion.

Notes

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Graduation Date

2014

Semester

Spring

Advisor

Orlovskaya, Nina

Degree

Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering (M.S.M.E.)

College

College of Engineering and Computer Science

Department

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Degree Program

Mechanical Engineering; Thermo-Fluids

Format

application/pdf

Identifier

CFE0005543

URL

http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/CFE0005543

Language

English

Release Date

November 2014

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Access Status

Masters Thesis (Open Access)

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Engineering and Computer Science; Engineering and Computer Science -- Dissertations, Academic

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