ABSTRACT
Since the discovery of flameless combustion of flammable fuel-air mixtures at a platinum wire and the subsequent invention of the miners’ safety lamp by Davy in 1817 [1] and the construction of the pneumatic gas lighter by Dobereiner in 1823 [2] catalysis and combustion have been linked. Catalytic combustion can be defined as the complete oxidation of a com bustible compound on the surface of a catalyst. While conventional com bustion occurs in the presence of a flame, catalytic combustion is a flameless process, which takes place at lower temperatures and, therefore, results in lower emissions of nitrogen oxides. Furthermore, catalytic com bustion offers fewer constraints concerning flammability limits and reactor design. These advantages of catalytic combustion determine its potential applications.
