Overcoming the Fundamental Limit: Combustion of a Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixture in Micro- and Nano-Bubbles

Vitaly Svetovoy, Alexander Postnikov, Ilia Uvarov, Remco Sanders and Gijs Krijnen
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Vitaly Svetovoy: MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, PO 217, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
Alexander Postnikov: Yaroslavl Branch of the Institute of Physics and Technology, RAS, Yaroslavl 150007, Russia
Ilia Uvarov: Yaroslavl Branch of the Institute of Physics and Technology, RAS, Yaroslavl 150007, Russia
Remco Sanders: MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, PO 217, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands
Gijs Krijnen: MESA + Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, PO 217, Enschede 7500 AE, The Netherlands

Energies, 2016, vol. 9, issue 2, 1-17

Abstract: Combustion reactions quench in small volumes due to fast heat escape via the volume boundary. Nevertheless, the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen was observed in nano- and micro-bubbles. The bubbles containing a mixture of gases were produced in microsystems using electrochemical decomposition of water with a fast switching of voltage polarity. In this paper, we review our experimental results on the reaction in micro- and nano-bubbles and provide their physical interpretation. Experiments were performed using microsystems of different designs. The process was observed with a stroboscope and with a vibrometer. The latter was used to measure the gas concentration in the electrolyte and to monitor pressure in a reaction chamber covered with a flexible membrane. Information on the temperature was extracted from the Faraday current in the electrolyte. Since the direct observation of the combustion is complicated by the small size and short time scale of the events, special attention is paid to the signatures of the reaction. The mechanism of the reaction is not yet clear, but it is obvious that the process is surface dominated and happens without significant temperature increase.

Keywords: combustion; nanobubbles; microsystems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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