Development and Characterization of Additive-Manufactured Mesoscale Combustor Array

Abstract

Development of a stable and efficient small-scale combustor architecture with comparable performance emission characteristics to large-scale burners is presented. Furthermore, the proposed architecture reduced susceptibility to extinction and maintained high combustion efficiency and low emission levels under ultralean operating conditions for a wide range of combustion power outputs. Prototype burner arrays were additively manufactured and demonstrated with methane/air flames. The burner sustained lean flames (ϕ=.65) independent of power output, indicating good scalability. High combustion efficiencies (98%) were estimated using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of the exhaust gas. Combined unburned hydrocarbon (UHC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emission measurements were well below .1% by mass. Near-adiabatic flame temperatures with minimal spatial variations across the burner were observed resulting from enhanced flame interaction and reduced heat loss. Overall, this study successfully demonstrates the potential for a novel combustor architecture that can be scaled across a wide range of power outputs with minimal performance degradation.