Catalytic combustion of hydrogen—II. An experimental investigation of fundamental conditions for burner design

Abstract The performance of catalysts in different forms was investigated for the design of a catalytic combustor with hydrogen fuel. The catalysts tested had dimensions of 150 × 150 mm, and consisted of a ceramic honeycomb impregnated with Pt, two Ni metal foams coated with Pd powder which differed from each other in pore size, and a ceramic foam coated with Co-Mn-Ag oxide powder. In the diffusive mode of operation, the Pd-coated Ni foam with larger pores exhibited the highest combustion efficiency. The ceramic foam with the oxide coating also provided smooth hydrogen combustion in the range 0.2–1.0 kcal cm −2 h −1 . Combustion efficiency was improved by increasing the amount of premixed air and totally supplied air. Spot measurements of surface temperature and gas composition were carried out over the catalyst surface and the characteristic features of each catalyst were compared and discussed.