Combustion Inhibition of Aluminum–Methane–Air Flames by Fine NaCl Particles

The effect of NaCl as an extinguishing agent on metal dust fires require further exploration. This paper reports the results of an experimental study on the performance of micron-sized NaCl powders on hybrid aluminum–methane–air flames. NaCl particles with sub-10 μm sizes were newly fabricated via a simple solution/anti-solvent method. The combustion characteristics of aluminum combustion in a methane-air flame were investigated prior to the particle inhibition study to verify the critical aluminum concentration that enables conical aluminum-powder flame formation. To study the inhibition effectiveness, the laminar burning velocity was measured for the established aluminum–methane–air flames with the added NaCl using a modified nozzle burner over a range of dust concentrations. The results were also compared to flames with quartz sand and SiC particles. It is shown that the inhibition performance of NaCl considerably outperformed the sand and SiC particles by more rapidly decreasing the burning velocity. The improved performance can be attributed to contributions from both dilution and thermal effects. In addition, the dynamic behavior of the NaCl particles in the laminar aluminum–methane–air flame was investigated based on experimental observations. The experimental data provided quantified the capabilities of NaCl for metal fire suppression on a fundamental level.