Convective burning of an aluminum-water mixture

The burning of a stoichiometric mixture of aluminum (PAP-2 powder) with water in a constant-volume bomb is studied. It is shown that, depending on the charge diameter and igniter-generated pressure, three situations can arise: the mixture does not burn, burns slowly (in the layer-by-layer mode), or burns rapidly in the convective mode. The characteristics of the rapid burning, such as the effect of the igniter-generated burning, charge length, and initial charge density, are in general similar to those of the convective burning of mixtures of aluminum powder with an oxidizing agent (AP or PA), described in the literature. The difference lies in the fact that, due to a relatively low water activity as an oxidant, the convective burning of aluminum-water mixtures is harder to initiate, and it proceeds at a much lower velocity.