• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 2006

In order to provide the database for designing microcombustors, the combustion characteristics of premixed methane and propane air microflames at normal and elevated temperatures and atmospheric pressure generated on a microtube were studied experimentally and computationally. The stability limits of premixed microflames and the propensity of the microflames near the stability limits were experimentally determined, while the structure of the microflame at the fuel-leanest limit was obtained using a two-dimensional CFD simulation with a reduced kinetic mechanism. For all the microflames, the stability limits were observed only in the fuel-rich region. Results also show substantial extension of stability limits with elevated temperature that is realistic condition for micro fuel processing and significant fuel dilution immediately near the tube exit due to a low Peclet number times Lewis number effect.

• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.2238-2243
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• 2007

A new microcombustor configuration for a micro fuel-cell reformer integrated with a micro evaporator was studied experimentally and computationally. The present microcombustor is simply cylindrical to be easily fabricated but two-staged, expending downstream, to feasibly control ignition and stable burning. Results show that the aspect ratio of the first stage and the wall thickness of the microcombustors substantially affect ignition and thermal characteristics. For the optimized design conditions, a premixed microflame was easily ignited in the expanded second stage combustor, moved into the smaller first stage combustor, and finally stabilized therein. The measured and predicted temperature distributions across the microcombustor walls indicated that heat generated in the microcombustor is well transferred. Thus, the present microcombustor configuration could be applied to the practical micro reformers integrated with a micro evaporator for use of fuel cells.