A kinetic model of the reaction of dispersed aluminum with water under exposure to hydrocavitation and stabilization of the final product

Abstract

The reaction of dispersed aluminum with water under the exposure of an A-IX-2 aluminum-containing explosive compound to hydrocavitation has been discussed. A kinetic model of the process has been developed; the chemical reaction rate constant has been determined under experimental conditions. It has been shown that the reaction occurs in an autocatalytic mode and can lead to the complete conversion of aluminum to aluminum hydroxide. A method to stabilize dispersed aluminum during the hydrocavitational extraction of a conversion explosive by using a phosphate buffer has been developed. Experiments have shown that the phosphate buffer has a stabilizing effect and leads to an improvement of the characteristics of the resulting industrial explosive composition.