Abstract

A study of the combustion of bulk samples of magnesium (Mg) in atmospheres of carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and oxygen (O₂) is currently being conducted at the Univeristy of Colorado. Although there has been much work on metal reaction kinetics, the combustion of bulk metals remains an incompletely understood phenomenon. This is due to the interaction of several complex processes, including low-temperature surface oxidation, heterogeneous reactions, product condensation, high-emissivity products, convective action, non-premixed combustion, and multi-phase thermodynamics. The motivation for this work is to examine the feasibility of Mg-CO₂ combustion as a rocket propulsion source for exploration of Mars and other planetary bodies. Our work focuses on fundamental aspects of bulk metal combustion. This work is supported by the NASA Micogravity Combustion Program (grant NAG3-2220).

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