Abstract
Electric power has been generated by using reciprocating-flow super-adiabatic combustion in a thermoelectric porous element which is made of many slim π-shaped FeSi_2 semiconductors inserted into the two adjacent pores of the ceramic honycomb core. A low calorific gas of equivalence ratio of about 0.1 could be burned by the super-adiabatic combustion in a porous catalyst. A trapezoidal temperature profile is established in the flow direction and a steep temperature gradient is yielded in the thermoelectric porous element. As a result, electric power could be obtained with the thermal efficiency of 0.04%.
