The performance of millimeter-scale combustors intended for micro, nano, and pico-satellite propulsion is strongly influenced by heat exchange to and within the combustor structure. The purpose of this work is to develop models for the effects of fluid-structure coupling on combustion in micro- combustors and to develop non-intrusive methods for making measurements of species concentration and temperature that can be used to validate these models. A simple one-dimensional model based on the thermal theory for flame propagation was extended to include the effects of heat exchange with a conductive structure. The important findings were that heat exchange between the gas and structure in micro-combustors can increase the burning rate and the reaction zone thickness. Micro-combustor geometries that maximize power density were identified. The experimental component of the work developed a non-intrusive technique based on infrared absorption spectroscopy fl%at made measurements of temperature and species concentration in a flame stabilized between two silicon plates spaced less than 1 mm apart.
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