Ignition, combustion, and oxidation of mixtures of amorphous and crystalline boron powders

Ignition, combustion, and oxidation characteristics of mixtures of amorphous and crystalline boron powders are studied by using a laser ignition system and a thermogravimetric analyzer. Yellow, green, and white-glow flames are observed. When the weight ratio of the amorphous boron powder (K) is lower than 0.33, burning of the mixtures is found to be at the ignition stage, while the combustion stage gradually appears with increasing K. The emission spectrum intensity is weakened by 3/4 as K decreases from 1 to 0.75. No obvious emission spectrum is detected at K < 0.33. The ignition delay time is found to decrease significantly with increasing K, but it does not change much at K < 0.8. Mixtures with larger values of K have a lower peak temperature of differential thermal gravity and a greater weight gain and maximum reaction rate. The Satava-Sestak method is applied to study the kinetics of the oxidation reaction of the mixtures. The calculated apparent activation energy decreases from 297 to 191 kJ/mol as K increases from 0 to 1. For mixtures with K ranging from 0.23 to 0.75, the apparent activation energy mainly stays constant at a value of 280 kJ/mol.