New Aluminum-Ice Rocket Propellant Tested 130
eldavojohn writes "With the problem of moving conventional rocket fuel to the Moon and Mars on their minds, researchers from Purdue and Penn State successfully tested and demonstrated the use of aluminum-ice (ALICE) as fuel. In a paper from last August they outlined how it would work (PDF), and now they know it does. Space.com also has more information on the paper and how nano-scale aluminum functions as a fuel."
Old news, but not to /. (Score:5, Informative)
"Enhance"? (Score:3, Informative)
> The oxygen and hydrogen in water molecules enhance the combustion of the
> aluminum.
"Enhance"? Um, the water _is_ the oxidizer.
Thermite + Water Vapor = BOOM (Score:5, Informative)
For a neat visual presentation of the physics they're relying on, Mythbusters did an experiment on the explosive power of thermite powder and water vapor http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnHR4cMXiyM [youtube.com].
Re:ALICE? (Score:5, Informative)
Get off my lawn or one of these days...POW! Right in the kisser!
Re:ALICE? (Score:4, Informative)
Its seeing things like this .. (Score:5, Informative)
that highlight the safety instructions I've had at Aluminium plants. You never, ever, ever drop anything like used aluminium cans into the feed that is headed for melt shop as any bit of liquid still in the can will cause a rather powerful explosion
Re:"Enhance"? (Score:4, Informative)
> ...more oxygen...
There is no oxygen present except for that in the water molecules.
Re:Old news, but not to /. (Score:3, Informative)
mhmmm old news http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b7siH1Ausc [youtube.com]
Re:In other words (Score:5, Informative)
Re:In other words (Score:3, Informative)
Re:There is (Score:3, Informative)
Rocket fuel = concentrated energy.
However you get that energy, you can have rocket fuels that are nasty pollutants or rocket fuels that are not, and rocket fuels that produce exhaust that is a nasty pollutant or not. Hydrogen + oxygen = water is probably the best, but some of the solid fuel rockets are nasty. Both the reactants and the products are a little more toxic than "may be linked to brain disease [but we drink it anyway]."
Besides, most aluminum plants are located near some cheap source of energy specifically because aluminum requires so much electricity to refine. The really cheap sources of lots of energy tend to be hydroelectric, not fossil fuel. Boeing isn't based in Seattle because they like the weather.
Re:Its seeing things like this .. (Score:5, Informative)
It's also a known rule that you use sand, never water, to extinguish a fire where molten aluminum is present.
However, the biggest danger from dropping aluminum cans in the melt is from the steam expansion, not from burning aluminum. Having *any* humidity at all where molten metal runs, any metal, not just aluminum, will produce large quantities of steam, which will expand explosively throwing molten metal all around.
I know this from personal experience, when I was about twelve years old I was burned while melting lead to make fishing weights. I dropped the mold in water to cool it and the next time I poured metal in it I got a spray of molten lead right in my face. Lucky me, none of it hit my eyes.
Isp and Exhaust Velocity (Score:5, Informative)
If that's right, that sucks compared to normal mixtures.
Of course, if you're lifting off the moon or asteroids, it may be ok. Mars? Probably not.
Computing case 1
Fixed enthalpy-pressure equilibrium - adiabatic flame temperature
Propellant composition
Code Name mol Mass (g) Composition
34 ALUMINUM (PURE CRYSTALINE) 2.0000 53.9631 1AL
976 WATER 3.0000 54.0458 2H 1O
Density
3 different elements
AL H O
Total mass: 108.008918 g
Enthalpy : -7944.26 kJ/kg
24 possible gazeous species
8 possible condensed species
CHAMBER
Pressure (atm) : 340.230
Temperature (K)
H (kJ/kg)
U (kJ/kg)
G (kJ/kg)
S (kJ/(kg)(K)
M (g/mol)
(dLnV/dLnP)t : -1.00584
(dLnV/dLnT)p : 1.13099
Cp (kJ/(kg)(K))
Cv (kJ/(kg)(K))
Cp/Cv
Gamma
Vson (m/s) : 900.11114
Molar fractions
AL 6.0290e-004
ALH 9.2486e-004
ALH2 2.8353e-005
ALH3 2.1470e-005
ALO 2.4478e-005
ALOH 5.6133e-003
AL(OH)2 3.4527e-005
AL(OH)3 3.1024e-006
AL2 1.4157e-006
AL2O 1.3669e-003
AL2O2 1.1545e-005
H 1.0276e-002
HALO 2.7342e-006
HALO2 3.5370e-007
H2 7.2954e-001
H2O 7.8723e-003
O 3.5048e-007
OH 4.1466e-005
Condensed species
AL2O3(L) 2.4364e-001
Re:Reading comprehension. (Score:3, Informative)
> Burning Iron Oxide+Reactive= Thermite.
No. Iron oxide+aluminum=thermite. Rust catalyzes the reaction between potassium chlorate and sugar. Mix your fuel in a rusty container and it may ignite while you are mixing it.
A glass container is a good choice, but wash it when you are finished. We once mixed fuel in an ashtray and then failed to clean it...
Re:ALICE? (Score:3, Informative)