Formation of condensed combustion products in metal dust flames: Nucleation stage

The nucleation of the ionized combustion products of small ($d_{10}\approx$ 5 mm) particles of Al, Mg, Zr, Fe, and Ti under laminar dust flame conditions at atmospheric pressure is considered in an isothermal approximation. It is shown that under conditions close to the experimental ones, the condensation of the products of gas-phase combustion of these metals is “rapid.” Description of the “rapid” nucleation regime requires a nonstationary approach and knowledge of the kinetics of nucleation of the condensed phase and does not need a detailed analysis of the influence of environmental parameters on the free energy of formation of small nuclei. It is shown that the characteristic nucleation time of the gas-phase combustion products of metal particles is several orders of magnitude smaller than the residence time of the products in the combustion zone of the flame dust. This allows coagulation to be considered as the basic process which determines the degree of dispersion of primary particles of the metal combustion products.