Iron particle in liquid fuel combustion technology for nonoxidative storage and easy burning

This study investigates an iron particle in liquid fuel combustion technology with liquid fuel as an anti-oxidization agent for the iron fuel particles, which has the advantage of easy combustion and nonoxidative iron particle storage. These slurry like iron particles in liquid fuel can be ideal for furnaces and boilers. Micron and nano-sized iron particles, concentrated at a 30% mass fraction, demonstrate enhanced reductions in total combustion time and increased micro-explosion intensity. The study observes that suspensions of micron-sized particles progress through preheating, ignition, stable combustion, and intense micro-explosion. In contrast, a dense colloidal suspension of iron nanoparticles in diesel fuel undergoes preheating, classical combustion, bubble growth with low-intensity secondary atomization, and the combustion of agglomerated nanoparticles, resulting in a glowing solid residue. A hybrid dense colloidal formulation incorporating micron and nano suspensions at a combined mass fraction of 30% was introduced to prevent particle agglomeration and achieve faster micro-explosions. This formulation leads to a significant 83 % reduction in total combustion time. The distinctive behavior is attributed to iron nanoparticles’ higher specific surface area, leveraging diesel’s nucleation and bubble growth for mid-intensity puffing within the droplet. Nucleation metastability intensifies superheating values, leading to internal pressure in the bubble grown via homogeneous nucleation and culminating in intense puffing, followed by a micro-explosion. This cascade effect highlights the potential of iron particles as a clean source with high energy density, providing novel insights for practical industrial applications. The observed micro-explosion intensity underscores the promise of this innovative approach, paving the way for advancements in cleaner and more efficient iron particle slurry combustion technology.