Combustion characteristics of millimeter-sized aluminum particles in fluidized bed

Al is an attractive alternative fuel, but it has very low combustion efficiency because of the dense Al2O3 layer that formed during combustion. This layer blocks O2 diffusion, which hinders Al combustion. To solve this problem, many methods have been adopted, such as nano/& mu;m-sized particles, alloys, additives. But these methods are expensive, complicated and unfeasible for large-scale production. In this study, a method that adopts fluidized bed has been proposed. The fluidized bed has attrition characteristics, which may destroy the oxide layer during combustion. A fluidized bed reactor was used to investigate the combustion characteristics of Al particles. The results indicate that the combustible particle size can increase to 0.5 mm with the help of fluidization, and the combustion efficiency can be increased by about three times. The combustion mode of millimeter-sized Al particles in fluidized bed is layer-by-layer combustion, but the agglomeration still exists and hinders the complete combustion.