Influence of operational parameters and design of the ejection nozzle on characteristics of finely dispersed aluminum powder: Part I. Influence of operational parameters of the nozzle

The results of analyzing the influence of operational parameters of the ejection nozzle on the characteristics of highly dispersed aluminum powder in production conditions at OOO SUAL-PM are presented. Measurements of dispersed characteristics of the spray when spraying the aluminum melt by the ejection nozzle are performed when varying the consumption and temperature of spraying gas in ranges of 0.17–0.21 m3/s and 873–933 K, respectively, as well as the melt temperature in limits of 1153–1253 K. The results of determining the median diameter of the particles (d m ) and content of the highly dispersed fraction (z) (with a particle diameter no larger than 10 μm) in the spray are presented. It is shown that, when modifying the operation parameter of the nozzle, the value of d m decreases by 3.7–12.4%, while the magnitude of z increases by 0.4–3.2%. It is established that an increase in temperature of spraying gas affects the powder properties most effectively.