The report gives results of a review of the state-of-the-art of catalytic combustion concepts, and of an assessment of the applicability of catalytic combustion to gas- and oil-fired home heaters and commercial and industrial boilers. Newly developed high-temperature support materials will greatly enhance the field of high-temperature catalytic combustion, but current catalyst systems are limited by the catalyst coating to much lower temperatures than the supports. To keep combustor temperatures below those that would cause catalyst degradation, to achieve high system efficiency, and to prevent NOx formation, combustion system concepts such as two-stage combustion, flue gas recirculation, and bed heat removal appear necessary. Application of these concepts to home furnaces appears feasible, but their application to larger size units may be more attractive because of their greater initial cost, generally more sophisticated controls, better supervision of equipment, and heat transfer characteristics.

Prepared by Aerotherm Division, Acurex Corporation, Mountain View, California, under contract no. 68-02-1318, task 12, ROAP no. 21AUZ-019, program element no. 1AB015. Includes bibliographical references (pages R-1-4).