ABSTRACT
COMBUSTION OF ALUMINUM WITH STEAM
FOR UNDERWATER PROPULSION
J. P. Foote, B. R. Thompson, and J. T. Lineberry
Results of an experimental program in which aluminum particles were
burned with steam and mixtures of oxygen and argon in small-scale
atmospheric dump combustor are presented. Measurements of com-
bustion temperature, radiation intensity in the wavelength interval from
400 to 800 nm, and combustion products particle size distribution and
composition were made. A combustion temperature of about 2900 K
was measured for combustion of aluminum particles with a mixture of
20%(wt.) O
and 80%(wt.) Ar, while a combustion temperature of
about 2500 K was measured for combustion of aluminum particles with
steam. Combustion eÆciency for aluminumparticles with a mean size of
17 m burned in steam with (O=F ) / (O=F )
st
1:10 and with residence
time after ignition estimated at 22 ms was about 95%. A Monte Carlo
numerical method was used to estimate the radiant heat loss rates from
the combustion products, based on the measured radiation intensities
and combustion temperatures. A peak heat loss rate of 9.5 W/cm
was
calculated for the O
/Ar oxidizer case, while a peak heat loss rate of
4.8 W/cm
was calculated for the H
O oxidizer case.
