With the tremendous expansion of portable electric devices for military and civilian applications, higher power
densities than those available from batteries are needed. At the small scales required for individual soldier or
personnel
applications, fuel cells or direct electric conversion devices can be utilized, to replace or recharge
batteries. Altex's expertise in small fuel processors for fuel cells is highlighted
in
Fuels processing for fuel cells (PEM, SOFC and others). In
addition to this capability, Altex has also developed a range of small high energy
density liquid fuel burners, which can be used to drive thermoelectric generators, thermophotovoltaic
generators, Alkalai Metal Thermal Electric Converters (AMTEC), and like devices. The burners have been developed
and tested at scales from 10 watts to 600 watts.
These burners can operate quietly and reliably on JP-8, diesel and even heavier
fuels, without clogging and performance degradation, as occurs with conventional burners. In addition, these burners
have low CO and particulate emissions. This is in contrast to conventional diesel fuel burners, where soot production
and emissions are high. The heart of these burners is the Porous Surface Element (PSE) innovation, which is able
to transport and vaporize the liquid fuel, act as a flameholder, and prevent surface clogging, as a result of fuel
coking. This innovation is combined with a porous screen, which modulates air flow to the flame and controls flame
temperature, to prevent soot formation. These elements work cooperatively to produce clean and reliable heat
for driving direct energy conversion devices. A thermoelectric generator, driven by an Altex burner, is illustrated on
this page.