Addressing an energy technology issue of huge relevance and complexity, this thesis explores catalytic and gas-phase combustion characteristics in channel-flow, platinum-coated microreactors, focusing on methane and propane microreactor/microturbine concepts.

"Catalytic Microreactors for Portable Power Generation addresses a problem of high relevance and increased complexity in energy technology. This thesis outlines an investigation into catalytic and gas-phase combustion characteristics in channel-flow, platinum-coated microreactors. The emphasis of the study is on microreactor/microturbine concepts for portable power generation and the fuels of interest are methane and propane. The author carefully describes numerical and experimental techniques, providing a new insight into the complex interactions between chemical kinetics and molecular transport processes, as well as giving the first detailed report of hetero-/homogeneous chemical reaction mechanisms for catalytic propane combustion. The outcome of this work will be widely applied to the industrial design of micro- and mesoscale combustors.

Nominated by the Paul Scherrer Institute for a Springer Theses Prize. A comprehensive numerical model for the investigation of catalytic microscale reactors is used and described for the first time. Provides valuable information of high scientific impact on the design and operation of catalytic microreactors for portable power generation. Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Inhalt

Nomenclature

Introduction

Experimental setup

Numerical models

Experimental and numerical investigation of the hetero/homogeneous combustion of lean propane/air mixtures over platinum

Experimental and numerical investigation of a propanefueled, catalytic, mesoscale combustor

Hetero/homogeneous combustion and stability maps in methanefueled catalytic microreactors

Stability of hetero/homogeneous combustion in propane and methanefueled catalytic microreactors: channel confinement and molecular transport effects

Numerical investigation on the startup of methanefueled, catalytic microreactors

Conclusions Summary Outlook