Size evolution during laser-ignited single iron particle combustion

To further our understanding of iron particle combustion, especially in the liquid state, in situ optical measurements are performed for the size evolution and temperature of laser-ignited iron particles in a narrow size range around 45-55μm. The particle size evolution is monitored by a high-speed shadowgraphy system, and the particle temperature is probed using a two-color pyrometer synchronized with the shadowgraphy system. Before a particle reaches the peak temperature, its diameter grows linearly with elapsed time. Near the peak temperature, three types of particle size behavior are detected, namely, smooth transition, micro-explosion, and rapid inflation. For particles with smooth transition, the size and temperature reach the maximum values at the same time, and thereafter the size remains constant, while the temperature drops until rapid solidification of the iron oxide droplet. The micro-explosion and rapid inflation clearly indicate towards a quick gas release inside the particle. The ambient oxygen concentration has a strong effect on the growth rate of the particle size before the peak temperature but no influence on the final particle size. The measured relative particle diameter at the peak temperature suggests that iron has been fully oxidized and the degree of oxidation could be higher than FeO. At the onset of solidification, gas release occurs again, resulting in a second inflation or burst of already inflated particles. This suggests that the oxygen dissolved in the liquid iron oxide is at least more than needed to form solid Fe3O4, and the solidification process is accompanied with gaseous oxygen release via the phase transition: L2 → Fe3O4(s) + O2(g) at 1855 K, where L2 represents liquid iron oxide with dissolved excess oxygen.