High-temperature ceramic combustor with thermophotovoltaic power generation

Inventors: Asegun S. Henry (Cambridge, MA); Alina Lapotin (Cambridge, MA); Shomik Verma (Cambridge, MA); Colin Clancy Kelsall (Cambridge, MA); Kyle Joseph Buznitsky (Cambridge, MA); Mehdi Pishahang (Cambridge, MA)

Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

H02S10/30 F23R3/04 F23R3/28

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12706559
App. No.: 18/855,540
Granted: Aug 11, 2026
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A device for electricity generation can include a combustor/recuperator system comprising a recuperator, a combustor, and an emitter; wherein the recuperator comprises an intake for air and fuel, wherein the combustor burns fuels, transfers exhaust gases to the recuperator to preheat the air and fuel, and transfers heat of combustion to the emitter; and wherein the emitter radiates heat generated by the combustor; and a combustion thermophotovoltaic (c-TPV) array comprising a means of absorbing incident radiation from the emitter.

Claims (19)

1 . A device for electricity generation, comprising

a combustor/recuperator system comprising a recuperator, a combustor, and an emitter; wherein the recuperator comprises an intake for air and fuel, wherein the combustor burns fuels, transfers exhaust gases to the recuperator to preheat the air and fuel, and transfers heat of combustion to the emitter; and wherein the emitter radiates heat generated by the combustor; and

a thermophotovoltaic adjacent to the emitter;

wherein the combustor/recuperator system comprises a stacked array of individual combustor/recuperator modules, wherein top, bottom, and side boundaries of each individual combustor/recuperator module are adiabatic; and

wherein the stacked array comprises an emitter surface that emits heat towards the thermophotovoltaic.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thermophotovoltaic comprises a thermophotovoltaic array.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the fuel comprises H 2 or CH 4 .

4 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the combustor/recuperator system comprises yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ).

5 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the combustor comprises a fuel inlet and an air inlet.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the combustor comprises channels made by additive manufacturing.

7 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the combustor comprises a ceramic channel.

8 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the recuperator is made by additive manufacturing.

9 . The device of claim 5 , wherein the fuel inlet and the air inlet of the combustor are above the autoignition temperature of the fuel.

10 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the fuel and the air enter the recuperator at 300° K and are preheated to 2000° C. or greater by exiting exhaust gas.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein at the end of the recuperator the fuel and the air exit at greater than 2000° C. and combust in the combustor.

12 . The device of claim 1 , wherein combustion of the fuel and the air in the combustor raises the temperature of the exhaust gas to greater than 2000° C. and transfers heat via convection to the walls of the emitter.

13 . The device of claim 1 , wherein exterior temperatures of the emitter radiating to the thermophotovoltaic vary from about 1900° C. to about 1700° C. across its length.

14 . The device of claim 1 , wherein heat of combustion is transferred from the combustor to the emitter to the thermophotovoltaic and the remaining heat is recuperated.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the thermophotovoltaic absorbs the incident radiation produced by the emitter as heat or electricity or reflects the incident radiation back to the emitter.