UNS – The future progress of a nation depends entirely on its energy security. Amid efforts to reduce the use of fossil energy, renewable energy such as biomass emerges as the solution. Limited battery capacity becomes a scourge for electronic users.  Therefore, new energy sources are needed. Micro combustion is being developed recently because it can make gadgets such as laptops stay on for days.
The novelty of micro-combustion technology encouraged the Mechanical Engineering Education Program of Universitas Sebelas Maret (PTM UNS) Surakarta to hold Visiting Professor Lecture upon the theme of Micro combustion and Applications. Inviting Fudhail bin Abdul Munir, a professor and Head of the Automotive Engineering Department of Universiti Teknikal Malaysia Melaka (UTeM), this visitation is a continuation of research cooperation between PTM UNS and UTeM Automotive Engineering Department.
Located in Building F Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) UNS on Wednesday (27/9/2017), the professor of Micro-Burning explained that the limited electronic devices life is due to low lithium battery energy density. Compared to gasoline, each kilogram of gasoline contains 100 times bigger amount of lithium battery energy. Although the efficiency of the tool is 10 percent, it is somehow 10 times bigger. “The lithium battery energy is very limited compared to methane and propane fuel,” said Fudhail.Â
The principle of micro-combustion technology is almost the same as combustion in general — fuel is flowed into a combustion chamber for energy use. The difference is that fuel energy can be used mechanically through a piston or micro turbine, or electrically via a thermoelectric converter.
“Micro-combustion research has been widely developed in Japan, Korea, and Europe. We, Asians, cannot be left behind,” he continued. The main problem of micro scale combustion is in controlling because each combustion produces flame.Â
Moreover, limited space makes burning last only in a short time. Fudhail examined how to cope with flame-quenching through the aid of catalysts, and this research was even condected in collaboration with PTM UNS academics.
“We have developed various catalysts to overcome the flame, one of which is being studied from UTeM and UNS academics,” he closed. humas-red.uns/Ref/Eln