• Proceedings of the KSME Conference
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• 2007.05b
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• pp.2360-2365
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• 2007

A new microemitter (microcombustor) configuration for a micro thermophotovoltaic system in which thermal energy is directly converted into electrical energy through thermal radiation was investigated experimentally and computationally. The microemitter as a thermal heat source was designed for a few watt power-generating micro thermophotovoltaic system. In order to satisfy the primary requirements for designing the microemitter, i.e., stable burning in the small confinement and maximum heat transfer through the emitting walls but uniform distribution of temperature along the walls, the present microemitter is cylindrical with an annular-type shield for heat recirculation to apply for the excessive enthalpy concept. Results show that the heat recirculation substantially improves the performance of the microemitter: the observed and predicted thermal radiation from the microemitter walls indicated that heat generated in the microemitter is uniformly emitted.