Calcium fluoride promoting the combustion of aluminum powder

Yanwu Ji, Yunlan Sun, Baozhong Zhu, Jianzhong Liu and Yuxin Wu

Energy, 2022, vol. 250, issue C

Abstract: Aluminum (Al) powder as an additive can enhance the specific impulse of propellants. However, it is hard to completely burn due to its aggregates in the combustion of propellants. To improve the combustion of Al powder, calcium fluoride (CaF2) was added to micron-sized Al powder to form the Al/CaF2 mixture, whose thermal behaviors, ignition and combustion performance, and combustion products were investigated. Micron-sized Al powder with CaF2 addition can decrease its ignition delay time and increase its self-sustaining combustion time. The corresponding values can be decreased by more than 65% and increased by more than 16%, respectively. Compared with micron-sized Al powder, an obvious gas-phase combustion occurs in the Al/CaF2 mixture. The agglomeration mechanism of Al combustion in the Al/CaF2 mixture were analyzed. On the one hand, the uneven distribution of oxidant leads to a pressure difference during combustion to accelerate Al agglomeration; on the other hand, the melting-agglomeration-combustion process occurs because the melting temperature and the ignition temperature of Al have a big difference. In addition, an improved Al combustion mechanism was established.

Keywords: Al combustion; Calcium fluoride; Combustion characteristics; Gas phase combustion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:energy:v:250:y:2022:i:c:s0360544222006752

DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2022.123772

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