Effects of Replica Ceramic Foam Microstructure on Porous Media Combustion Temperature Distribution

Abstract

Replica ceramic foam (RCF) is a widely used material in porous media combustion. The macro-structural and thermal properties such as porosity and effective thermal conductivity are governed by RCF’s micro-structure and the properties of the material. The aim of this paper is to study the essential influence of the cell structure and the material on porous media combustion temperature distribution. Kelvin model is adopted to describe the micro-structure of the RCF and to establish the correlations between micro-structure with porosity and effective thermal conductivity. Based on these correlations, the effects of strut length, strut cross sectional size, vertex shape together with different materials (include alumina, zirconia and silicon carbide) on the gas and solid temperature profiles are numerically investigated. Results indicate that the SiC RCF burner has the highest temperature peaks of both gas and solid at the same operating parameters. The temperature profiles of gas and solid are significantly affected by the strut length, the strut cross sectional radius and the length of nodes.