Evaluation of Stored Energy in Ultrafine Aluminum Powder Produced by Plasma Explosion

Ultrafine aluminum powder produced by plasma explosion (ALEX) exhibits burn behavior unlike that of ordinary aluminum powders. Others have previously suggested that the source of this unique behavior might be stored internal energy. The objective of this study is to evaluate theoretically the feasibility of energy being stored in ALEX as a result of work performed by means of the compression of the liquid portion of an ALEX particle by its shrinking solid shell during rapid solidification of the particle. A theoretical model of this process of energy storage was developed. This model was then formulated and numerically solved on a computer for a variety of conditions. Results show that the postulated mechanism results in measurable stored energy for only unrealistically high cooling rates. It is concluded that, although the postulated mechanism could store energy, the amount of energy stored is realistically negligible. This theoretical finding is in agreement with recent experiments that show no observable stored energy in ALEX particles.