Pd enhanced WC catalyst to promote heterogeneous methane combustion

Highlights: • Pd enhanced WC catalyst particles were synthesized via mechanochemical alloying. • Catalyst was characterized by XRD, XRF, SEM, and EDS. • Catalyst was deposited on porous ZrO₂ and evaluated in heterogeneous combustion. • During combustion temperature profiles and spectral emissions were collected. - Abstract: The efficiency of combustion for low cost heat production could be greatly enhanced if an active and low cost catalyst would be used to facilitate the chemical reactions occurring during combustor operation. Within this work an experimental study of palladium (Pd) enhanced tungsten carbide (WC) catalyst, synthesized via high energy ball milling and deposited by dip coating onto a magnesia partially stabilized zirconia (MgO-ZrO₂) porous matrix of 10 ppin was evaluated in heterogeneous methane combustion. The synthesized powder was characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis, as well as by X-ray Fluorescence (XRF); and the morphology of the deposited WC-Pd coating was also characterized using SEM and EDS. Performance evaluation of the heterogeneous combustor with WC-Pd coated MgO-ZrO₂ porous media was conducted at constant air flow rate and various equivalence ratios of methane/air gaseous mixtures, while monitoring axial temperature profiles within the combustion chamber using thermocouples, as well as thermal radiative and acoustic emissions from the combustor exhaust using an externally placed CCD camera and a microphone. It was found that there is a strong dependence of flame position and maximum temperature on equivalence ratio (φ) over the range of 0.47 ± 0.02 ⩽ φ ⩽ 0.75 ± 0.02. Additionally it was found that over the same equivalence ratio range, there is a characteristic 4 peak acoustic signature between 200 and 500 Hz. It was found that at higher equivalence ratios 0.51 ± 0.02 ⩽ φ ⩽ 0.75 ± 0.02 the performance of combustor was improved when the WC-Pd coating was present, however at the low equivalence ratio of φ = 0.47–49 ± 0.02 the WC-Pd coating did not promote the combustion reactions.