Combustion of bimodal nano/micron-sized aluminum particle dust in air

The combustion of bimodal nano/micron-sized aluminum particles with air is studied both analytically and experimentally in a well-characterized laminar particle-laden flow. Experimentally, an apparatus capable of producing Bunsen-type premixed flames was constructed to investigate the flame characteristics of bimodal-particle/air mixtures. The flame speed is positively affected by increasing the mass fraction of nano particles in the fuel formulation despite the lower flame luminosity and thicker flame zone. Theoretically, the flames are assumed to consist of several different regimes for fuel-lean mixture, including the preheat, flame, and post flame zones. The flame speed and temperature distribution are derived by solving the energy equation in each regime and matching the temperature and heat flux at the interfacial boundaries. The analysis allows for the investigation of the effects of particle composition and equivalence ratio on the burning characteristics of aluminum-particle/air mixtures. Reasonable agreement between theoretical results and experimental data was obtained in terms of flame speed. The flame structure of a bimodal particle dust cloud may display either an overlapping or a separated configuration, depending on the combustion properties of aluminum particles at different scales. At low percentages of nano particles in the fuel formulation, the flame exhibits a separated spatial structure with a wider flame regime. At higher nano-particle loadings, overlapping flame configurations are observed.     

Ignition and combustion of a dense powder jet of micron-sized aluminum particles in hot gas

Aiming at the potential implementation of aluminum as a primary fuel in powder-fueled ramjets or engines, this work seeks to investigate the ignition and combustion characteristics of a dense gas-suspended jet of micron-sized aluminum particles in a hot flow with controlled temperature and compositions. Aluminum particles with a mean diameter of 40 µm are aerosolized using a custom-made feeder and carried into the burner by a nitrogen stream. The powder jet with a particle density of up to 1–3 kg/m³ can be ignited and burned violently at a surrounding gas temperature as low as 1500 K. The lowered ignition temperature of the powder jet can be attributed to a cooperative mechanism resulting in fast reactions. Meanwhile, the ignition delay time decreases from ∼25 to ∼5 ms when the surrounding temperature increases from 1500 to 2200 K. The burning powder jet generates strong luminance and AlO emission signals detected by a spectrometer. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) and camera pyrometry are used to derive the two-dimensional velocity and average projected temperature distribution, respectively. Furthermore, a high-speed camera with a microscopic lens captures the transition from dispersed combustion to group combustion that forms a large-scale flame column wrapping the entire powder jet. The aluminum oxide produced in the columnar flame forms a large number of nanosized smoke particles in the condensation region. Finally, a numerical model considering the collective effect of the powder jet is developed to predict the particle temperature history during the ignition stage, which shows good agreement with the temperature profiles derived from camera pyrometry and PIV techniques.     

Thermo-mechanical behavior of nano aluminum particles with oxide layers during melting

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to study the thermo-mechanical behavior of nano aluminum particles coated with crystalline and amorphous oxide layers during melting. The analysis employs the Streitz–Mintmire potential, along with micro-canonical (NVE) and isobaric–isoenthalpic (NPH) ensembles. The effect of particle size in the range of 5–10 nm with oxide thickness in the range of 1–2.5 nm was investigated. The melting phenomenon was characterized using a combination of structural and thermodynamic parameters. Various fundamental processes, including structural changes, stress development, and phase transformations in both the aluminum core and the oxide shell, were examined and quantified systematically. The diffusion of aluminum cations through the oxide layer was also explored. In addition, a structural analysis was applied to determine the stress field in the oxide shell due to the volume dilatation in the aluminum core. In the particle-size range considered here, the oxide layer melts at ~1,100 K, substantially lower than the value for bulk alumina (2,327 K). The oxide thickness exerts a weak influence on the melting temperature of the shell. The aluminum core melts at a temperature considerably lower than its bulk value of 940 K, a situation comparable to that of a pure nano aluminum particle. This study is an important milestone in the development of a multi-scale theory for the ignition and combustion of nano-particulate aluminum.     

Combustion of micron-sized particles of titanium and zirconium

Particles of titanium and zirconium in the size range of 2–25 μm are ignited while passing through a CO₂ laser beam and their combustion is monitored optically. Prior to ignition, particles pass through a low-power auxiliary laser beam so that the diameter of each ignited particle is measured in situ based on the amplitude of the scattered light pulse. The particles of both Ti and Zr are observed to exhibit micro explosions, similar to those observed for larger size particles of these metals. Particle emission traces are recorded, and a data processing routine is established for discounting emission signals produced by unignited particles and particles partially combusted within the CO₂ laser beam. Burn times and combustion temperatures are measured and compared to earlier measurements for coarser particles of the same metals. For both metals, average combustion temperatures implied by the emission spectra are very close to their respective adiabatic flame temperatures. For both metals, for the particle size range considered, particle combustion temperatures do not depend on the particle size. The particle burn times were found to be only weak functions of the particle size; burn times for Zr are shorter and temperatures are higher compared to the similarly sized Ti particles.     

Real-time optical imaging and tracking of micron-sized particles

We report real-time imaging and dynamics monitoring of micrometer predefined and random sized particles by time-space-wavelength mapping technology using a single-detector. Experimentally, we demonstrate real-time line imaging of a 5 μm polystyrene microsphere, glass powder particles and patterns such as fingerprints with up to 5 μm resolution at 1 line/50 ns capture rate. By using the same setup, real-time displacement tracking of micrometer-size glass particles with 50 ns temporal resolution and up to 5 μm spatial resolution is achieved. We also show that existing correlation spectroscopy algorithms can be adopted to extract dynamic information in a complex environment.     

聚苯乙烯/纳米铝复合材料的流变特性及纺丝研究

为有效制得Z箍缩氘代聚苯乙烯/纳米铝(DPS/AlNPs)导电丝阵材料,采用PS中掺入AlNPs制备PS/AlNPs复合材料纤维进行模拟研究。研究了温度及剪切速率等因素对PS/AlNPs复合材料流变性能的影响、复合材料熔体的结构变化及流动状态与可纺性能的关系,以及PS/AlNPs纤维的形貌、热稳定性能和力学性能。结果表明：PS/AlNPs熔体属于典型剪切变稀型非牛顿流体,熔体的表观粘度与温度呈现负相关,240~260 ℃时复合材料的非牛顿指数介于0.462~0.546,结构黏度系数介于1.8~2.1,黏流活化能介于77.2~104.6 kJ·mol^-1,具有良好的可纺性。PS/AlNPs纤维表面光滑,对AlNPs粒子包覆良好且对其抗氧化非常有利,其中当AlNPs质量分数为1%时纤维的断裂伸长率突出、掺量为5%时其断裂强度较高。     

Experimental facilities for the TRD/ALICE tests with electron-pion beam and cosmic particles

Two special experimental facilities have been designed and produced to provide charged particle tests of the Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) prototypes and modules for the ALICE experiment at CERN. The first facility, comprising the scintillation and Cherenkov detectors, was applied for the TRD elements investigation with a secondary mixed electron-pion beam of the CERN proton synchrotron PS. The second one, consisting of two large-scale scintillation planes and original electronics, is under operation to trigger the 7-m long TRD supermodules on closing stand-alone trial with cosmic particles. The design and performance of both facilities are considered. The article is published in the original.     

Flame propagation of mixtures of air with high molecular weight neat hydrocarbons and practical jet and diesel fuels

Laminar flame speeds of mixtures of air with n-C₁₄H₃₀, n-C₁₆H₃₄, a petroleum-derived JP-5 jet fuel, a camelina-derived hydrotreated renewable JP-5 jet fuel, a petroleum-derived F-76 diesel fuel, and an algae-derived hydrotreated renewable F-76 diesel fuel, were measured in the counterflow configuration at atmospheric pressure and elevated unburned mixture temperatures. Digital particle image velocimetry was used to measure the axial flow velocities along the stagnation streamline. The experiments for n-C₁₄H₃₀/air and n-C₁₆H₃₄/air mixtures were modeled using recently developed kinetic models, and the experimental data were predicted satisfactorily. Both experiments and simulations revealed that the laminar flame speeds of n-C₁₄H₃₀/air and n-C₁₆H₃₄/air mixtures are very close to each other, as expected. On the other hand, the laminar flame speeds for the four practical fuels were found to be lower than n-C₁₄H₃₀ and n-C₁₆H₃₄, due to the presence of aromatics and branched hydrocarbons. Similarly, the laminar flame speeds for the alternative fuels were found to be higher than the petroleum-derived ones, again due to the presence of aromatic compounds in the latter. Further insight into the effects of kinetics and molecular transport was obtained through sensitivity analysis.     

Flame enhancement of ethylene/methane mixtures by ozone addition

As one of the longest lasting species in plasma-assisted combustion, ozone has a pronounced effect on ignition and flame propagation. Many previous studies, however, have only investigated the combustion enhancement by ozone for single-component fuels. In the present study, the impact of ozone addition on multi-component fuel mixtures is examined through one-dimensional laminar flame simulations across a range of temperatures, pressures, residence times, and mixture compositions. Due to the presence of an alkene (ethylene), ozone is consumed through pre-flame ozonolysis reactions even at room temperature. The flame speed is shown to be dependent on the domain length (residence time), and a new reference flame speed is defined for ozonolysis-assisted flame propagation. It is also found that the flame speed enhancement by ozone is highly nonlinear, as a small amount of ethylene produces a disproportionate boost in the laminar flame speed. Finally, the competition between ozonolysis, ozone decomposition, and other ozone reactions in a mixture of alkenes and alkanes is examined in detail. Increases in the pressure, temperature, and equivalence ratio (for rich mixtures) favor ozonolysis reactions over other ozone reactions. The results of this study provide important insights into the timescales, length scales, and reaction pathways that govern ozone-assisted combustion of multi-component fuels in real combustors.     

Preparation and characterization of nano and micro particles of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) via emulsification/solvent evaporation and nanoprecipitation techniques

This paper describes the preparation and the characterization of micro and nanoparticles of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) via two different preparation techniques. The first technique is the emulsification/solvent evaporation while the second is the nanoprecipitation which is being reported for first time for the PHBV particles. The effect of various conditions of preparation on the size and the morphology of the produced particles was studied for both techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscopy, static light scattering and dynamic light scattering were used to analyse the size and the morphology of the particles. The particles produced using the emulsification/solvent evaporation were spherical porous micro and nanoparticles ranging from 300 up to 20 μm. The size, porosity and the particle size distribution were found to be controllable basically via choosing the surfactant and the polymer concentration when the emulsification technique was used. Choosing the appropriate anti-solvent and adjusting its polarity are crucial for getting spherical particles via nanoprecipitation. The micro and nanoparticles produced via both techniques are intended basically to be used for reinforcing biopolymeric matrices of PHBV and starches.     

Details of crystalline growth in co-deposited electroplated nickel films with hard (nano)particles

Electroplated nickel dispersion films with incorporated hard particles, primarily titanium oxide, were studied. A sufficient dispersion of nanometre-scaled particles in Watts solution was reached by application of ultrasonic energy to the galvanic bath. Crystal morphology, mean grain size and formation of textures were examined by electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The typical columnar structure of pure Ni films was refined by means of ultrasound. Incorporation of micron-sized TiO₂ particles generates additional nucleation surfaces in contrast to SiC particles. Textures of the subsequent columnar nickel crystals change from 〈2 1 1〉 (silent condition) or 〈1 1 0〉 (ultrasonic condition) fibre textures in growth direction to 〈1 0 0〉 and 〈1 1 1〉 textures under the influence of nanoparticle incorporation. Moreover, nanoparticles remarkably decrease the grain size and grain aspect ratio. Their incorporation takes place inside the crystals as well as between grains.     

Rapid and efficient synthesis of 4(3H)-quinazolinones under ultra sonic irradiation using silica-supported Preyssler nano particles

A new synthesis of 4(3H)-quinazolinone from the reaction of 2-amino-benzamide, and acylchlorides in the presence of catalytic amounts of silica-supported Preyssler nano particles as green, reusable and efficient catalyst under ultra sonic irradiation is reported.     

Preparation of BA/ST/AM nano particles by ultrasonic emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization

A kind of nano particle of butyl acrylate (BA)/styrene (ST)/acrylamide (AM) was prepared through a new method that was ultrasonic emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization, which was a kind of environmental protection and economical method. And no any volatile organic solvent (VOC), emulsifier and initiator were used in this method. Only water was used as solvent. The effects of sonic intensity, sonic time, inorganic salt content, N2 flow velocity, etc. on monomer conversion were studied. TEM photographs showed that its particles size was about 80 nm, which was less than particles size (about 140 nm) through conventional emulsifier-free emulsion polymerization method. The FTIR spectrum showed that after extracted by water for 48 h, CHCl3 for 48 h and THF for 48 hr, respectively, the sample obtained by this way was a ternary copolymer of BA, ST and AM, but not a blend of poly(butyl acrylate), polystyrene and polyacrylamide.     

Ignition of fuel/air mixtures by radiatively heated particles

The current work examines the ignition of fuel/air mixtures by particles which have been heated up rapidly by intense electromagnetic radiation from an infrared laser source. Experiments have been conducted at relatively large beam sizes, where ignition times are a function of the irradiance. Particles in the form of fine powders were placed into a chamber filled with ignitable butane/air mixtures. Possible ignition is shown for a range of carbon based materials including different carbon blacks, graphite, the C₆₀ fullerene and diamond powder, as well as for non-reactive powders such as silicon carbide, iron-, copper- and silicon oxides. The irradiance was varied independently and results are shown to become independent of the size of the irradiated area if a sufficiently large area is illuminated. The particle size was found to have a significant impact on the time to ignition. Specifically, finer particles lead to shorter ignition times due to the higher surface area to volume ratio which reduces both particle and gas heating times. Ignition could be achieved across the whole flammability range of butane/air using carbon black and silicon carbide particles, although, near the rich flammability no ignition could be obtained with carbon black.     

The Time Of Flight (TOF) system of the ALICE experiment

The European Physical Journal C - The double-stack Multigap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) is the detector chosen for the large Time-Of-Flight system of the ALICE experiment at CERN LHC. The TOF...     

Design and evaluation of a unipolar aerosol charger to generate highly charged micron-sized aerosol particles

In this study, a unipolar charger for generating highly charged microparticles was designed and its performance was evaluated both theoretically and experimentally. The measured particle charge number and corona current of the charger were in good agreement with the theoretical results from FLUENT. The experimentally determined average particle charge number of 1 μm PSL under an applied voltage of 8 kV was 128, which agreed well with the theoretically predicted and simulated values of 118 and 121, respectively. Computational calculations revealed the average charge of 10 μm particles to be 7560 at an applied voltage of 8 kV.     

A convenient synthesis of bis(indolyl)alkanes under ultra sonic irradiation using silica-supported Preyssler nano particles

Bis(indolyl)alkanes have been synthesised in excellent yields in the presence of catalytic amount of silica-supported Preyssler nano particles as green, reusable and efficient catalyst under ultra sonic irradiation.     

Flame speed and self-similar propagation of expanding turbulent premixed flames

In this Letter we present turbulent flame speeds and their scaling from experimental measurements on constant-pressure, unity Lewis number expanding turbulent flames, propagating in nearly homogeneous isotropic turbulence in a dual-chamber, fan-stirred vessel. It is found that the normalized turbulent flame speed as a function of the average radius scales as a turbulent Reynolds number to the one-half power, where the average radius is the length scale and the thermal diffusivity is the transport property, thus showing self-similar propagation. Utilizing this dependence it is found that the turbulent flame speeds from the present expanding flames and those from the Bunsen geometry in the literature can be unified by a turbulent Reynolds number based on flame length scales using recent theoretical results obtained by spectral closure of the transformed G equation.