Investigation of the Reaction of Aluminum-Lithium Alloy With Water by the Exploding Wire Technique
Abstract
The chemical reactivity of an aluminum-lithium alloy with water was studied by the exploding wire technique. The reactivity was measured by the amount of hydrogen gas product vs the dissipated energy (heat) through the alloy wire. The results show that a small concentration of Li (2.5 weight%) in the alloy has a profound effect on the reactivity. The amount of the dissipated energy through wire was controlled by using crowbar switch current interruptor. The higher reactivity of the alloy wire was observed in the following aspects: The alloy wire with an input energy of 4 kj/gm, reacts with the water almost completely, whereas aluminum wire requires an input energy of 10 kj/gm to complete the reaction. The alloy wire exploded at a lower temperature than aluminum wire provided that their initial heating rates were the same. The input energy that contributes to the chemical conversion of the wire material was supplied through heating during a very short time span, approximately 15 microseconds for the alloy wire and 30 microseconds for aluminum wire.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1986
- Accession Number
- ADA476876
Entities
People
- Richard D. Ford
- Woong-moo Lee
Organizations
- Naval Ordnance Laboratory