Platinum nanoparticle catalysis of methanol for thermoelectric power generation

Bhanuprakash Reddy Guggilla, Alexander Rusted and Smitesh Bakrania

Applied Energy, 2019, vol. 237, issue C, 155-162

Abstract: Catalytic combustion of hydrocarbon and oxygenated fuels has the potential to provide an alternative power source for portable electronic devices. Our previous studies have demonstrated sustained catalytic combustion for a variety of fuels using multi-channel cordierite substrates. In particular, methanol-air mixtures catalyzed by platinum nanoparticles yielded room-temperature self-ignition and stable combustion. The present work explores a stacked-reactor design of a microcombustion-thermoelectric coupled device that marries thermal management strategies with catalytic combustion. Synthesized platinum nanoparticles (dp∼ 8 nm) were deposited on rectangular cordierite substrate cartridges with 800 μm wide channels. A custom-designed copper-aluminum reactor was used to host the catalytic cartridges. A near-stoichiometric mixture of methanol-air at 8000 mL/min air flow rate produced 62 °C temperature difference across thermoelectric generators. Material analysis demonstrated a non-uniform restructuring of catalyst material across the substrate. A parametric study of catalyst loading and air flow mapped the optimal operational range of the device. While a relatively low power output of 490 mW was measured, a theoretical power potential of 1400 mW was estimated. The results confirm the unique advantages of multi-channel catalytic cartridges and guide future developments in the application of nanocatalytic microcombustion for portable power sources.

Keywords: Microcombustion; Catalysis; Thermoelectric; Platinum; Nanoparticles; Methanol (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2018.12.083

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