• Journal of Powder Materials
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.308-313
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• 2004

An experimental study on the combustion of superfine aluminum powders (average particle diameter, a$_{s}$: ∼0.1 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$) in air is reported. The formation of aluminum nitride during the combustion of aluminum in air and the influence of the combustion scenario on the structures and compositions of the final products are in the focus of this study. The experiments were conducted in an air (pressure: 1 atm). Superfine aluminum powders were produced by the wire electrical explosion method. Such superfine aluminum powder is stable in air but once ignited it can burn in a self-sustaining way due to its low bulk: density (∼0.1 g/㎤) and a low thermal conductivity. During combustion, the temperature and radiation were measured and the actual burning process was recorded by a video camera. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and chemical analysis were performed on the both initial powders and final products. It was found that the powders, ignited by local heating, burned in a two-stage self-propagating regime. The products of the first stage consisted of unreacted aluminum (-70 mass %) and amorphous oxides with traces of AlN. After the second stage the AlN content exceeded 50 mass % and the residual Al content decreased to ∼10 mass %. A qualitative discussion is given on the kinetic limitation for AlN oxidation due to rapid condensation and encapsulation of gaseous AlN.N.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.608-611
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• 2011

Laser-induced combustions and explosions generated by high laser irradiances were explored by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) in rich, and stoichiometric conditions. The laser used for target ablation is a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with 7 ns pulse duration at wavelength of 1064 nm laser energies from 40 mJ to 2500 mJ ($6.88{\times}10^{10}-6.53{\times}10^{11}\;W/cm^2$). The plasma light source from aluminum detected by the echelle grating spectrometer and coupled to the gated ICCD(a resolution (${\lambda}/{\Delta}{\lambda}$) of 5000). This spectroscopic study has been investigated for obtaining both the atomic signals of aluminum (fuel) - oxygen (oxidizer) and the calculated ambient condition (plasma temperature and electron density). The essence of the paper is observing specific electron density ratio which can support the processes of combustion and explosion between ablated aluminum plume and oxygen from air by inducing high power laser.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Propulsion Engineers Conference
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• 2011.04a
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• pp.425-429
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• 2011

The development of metal plasma generated by high laser irradiance and its effect on the surrounding air using shadowgraph images after laser pulse termination are studied; hence the formation of laser supported detonation and combustion processes has been investigated. The core of the paper is in detecting chemical reaction using X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) between ablated aluminum plasma and oxygen from air by inducing high power laser pulse (>1000 mJ/pulse) and conduct a quantitative comparison of chemically reactive laser initiated waves with the classical detonation of exploding aluminum (dust) cloud in air. This study may suggest a new approach of initiating detonation from metal sample in its bulk form without the need of mixing nano-particles with oxygen for initiation.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2012

We explore the evolution of metal plasma generated by high laser irradiances and its effect on the surrounding air by using shadowgraph images after laser pulse termination and X-ray diffraction (XRD) of aluminum plasma ablated by a high-power laser pulse (>1000 mJ/pulse) and oxygen from air. Hence, the formation of laser-supported detonation and combustion processes has been investigated. The essence of this paper is in observing the initiation of chemical reaction between the ablated aluminum plasma and oxygen from air by the high-power laser pulse (>1000 mJ/pulse) and in conducting a quantitative comparison of the chemically reactive laser-initiated waves with the classical detonation of an exploding aluminum (dust) cloud in air. The findings in this work may lead to a new method of initiating detonation from a metal sample in its bulk form without any need to mix nanoparticles with oxygen for initiation.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.84-91
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• 2017

Recent years have witnessed the increased usage of flammable metals, such as aluminum or magnesium, in wide range of high-tech industries. These metals are indispensable for the improvement of physical properties of materials as well as the design capability of the final product. During the process, unwanted metal dusts could be released to the environment. This can lead to an occupational health and safety issues. Due to their flammable nature, more serious problem of an explosion can happen in extreme cases. The explosion is the combustion of tiny solid particles and vapor mixture, caused by pyrolysis. This complex composition makes engineering analysis more difficult, compared to simple gas explosions or vapor cloud combustions. The study was conducted to assess this light metal dust explosion in an effort to provide the bases for a risk assessment. Dust explosion characteristics of each material was carefully evaluated and an appropriate analysis tool was developed. A comprehensive database was also constructed and utilized for the calibration of the developed response model and the verification for its accuracy. Subsequently, guidelines were provided to prevent dust explosions that could occur in top-notch industrial processes.