Micro Combustion Power System (MCPS)

Micro Combustion Power System (MCPS) is a new power storage technology potentially capable of delivering eight times higher energy density than Li-ion battery. The MCPS is designed to produce electrical power from heat generated by micro-scale combustion (microcombustion) of liquid hydrocarbon fuel. The advantages of MCPS are high energy density (up to 1400 W-hr/Kg), reconfigurable power output, expandable capacity, high reliability and low unit cost. MCPS consists of a fuel cartridge, fuel injection chip, power generation cell, and power management electronics. In Phase I, the feasibility of the MCPS has been studied, and a Power Generation Cell has designed. The components making up the Power Generation Cell include the microcombustor, thermoelectric generator, and the miniature heat exchanger. The MCPS is designed to generate 10 Watts and to last 2 hours of continuous operation in approximately 50 cm3, or about the same volume as the current battery being used by AFRL which last about 15 minutes. The accomplishments in Phase I include design of a microcombustor capable of generating 23 Watts of thermal power, a thermoelectric generator capable of achieving 7% efficiency using only conventional thermoelectric material, and a miniature heat exchanger designed to recover 90% of the exhaust energy – all three components occupy area of about a 1 cm x 1 cm. The small size of MCPS coupled with its high energy density makes this technology an ideal candidate for powering new generation of miniature smart munitions