Investigation on the flame characteristics of premixed propane/air in a micro opposed flow porous combustor

The miniaturization of micro combustion based thermoelectric generator leads to excessive heat loss on the outer wall of the combustor, which makes narrow flammability limit and unstable flames. In order to guarantee a stable heat source for the thermoelectric device, a micro opposed flow porous combustor was developed to separate the flame from the outer wall surface of combustor. The experimental study is arranged to verify the reliability of the numerical model. The results showed that the combustor can maintain a uniform temperature on the outer wall by effectively stabilize the location of the flame. and the convection rate between porous medium and fresh mixtures is rising up with increase in power of the inlet fuel mixture. Moreover, partially filled a porous medium and structure of opposing flow to the combustor could stabilize the flame by reducing the velocity of the mixture flow at the flame position. The results indicate that a propane/air fueled combustor with a 2 mm combustion chamber height and a large flammability limit provides a guideline for designing a micro combustion based thermoelectric generator.