Simulation of multidimensional unsteady heat transfer with aluminothermic reaction and phase transition

Abstract

Thermite reactions are self-sustained exothermic reactions commonly employed in welding processes of railway tracks, material synthesis and pyrotechnics, to mention a few applications. More recently, this reaction has been assessed to plug depleted oil wells. Motivated by the foregoing, this work numerically investigates a Fe2O3/Al thermite reaction. A two-dimensional axisymmetric domain with a thermite layer compressed between a PMMA lid and a stainless-steel disk is considered. A first-order kinetic is assumed and the reaction is controlled by the hematite consumption. A computational solver is developed based on the open-source OpenFOAM® software. Numerical results showed good agreement with experimental data for temperature levels. Numerical results further indicated thermal losses next to the thermite-steel interface. These heat losses affected the melting of the species as a small portion of alumina remained entirely solid during the reaction.