Elemental aluminum is highly reactive with water but is normally coated with a layer of aluminum-oxide, which prevents any interaction between the aluminum and the water. A process was recently developed that removes the aluminum-oxide layer and enables the aluminum-water reaction to occur and produce heat and hydrogen. The resulting fuel is a promising technology in reducing the logistical burden of fueling remote locations, due to its high energy density and ability to generate large volumes of hydrogen. However, there are significant challenges in dispensing the solid fuel that must be overcome before the fuel could be used in field applications. One avenue to address this problem is to transform the solid aluminum fuel into a slurry by mixing ground aluminum fuel particles and mineral oil. The objective of this work is to improve and characterize the aluminum slurry fuel and demonstrate an application for the technology.
First, experiments were conducted to improve the rheological properties of the aluminum slurry and characterize the impact of slurry parameters on reaction behavior. A study was conducted to identify the optimal pumping composition of aluminum-mineral oil slurry. Reducing the aluminum particle size and the addition of 2% bentonite and 1% fumed silica to the slurry were found to have the greatest reduction in viscosity and settling of the aluminum slurry. Another study examined the impact of particle size, temperature, and water turbulence on the reaction time and hydrogen release of the aluminum slurry. Analysis suggests that the reaction rate of the slurry is limited by the mobility of the aluminum in the mineral oil. The data from the reaction experimentation can be found in the supplemental materials.
Second, a prototype cooking system was developed to demonstrate an application for the aluminum slurry and to use the heat from the aluminum-water reaction. The system displayed the ability to dispense aluminum slurry in a controlled manner, maintain a flame using generated low-pressure hydrogen, and heat a body of water using the aluminum-water reaction.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/44778 |
| Date | 24 May 2022 |
| Creators | Brush, Samuel Wallace |
| Contributors | Ryan, Emily |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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