Effect of Current Pulse Shape on Driving Metal/Water Chemical Reaction

Pulsed electrical activation of a trigger wire embedded in a reactive metal powder-water mixture triggers a fast and highly energetic chemical reaction in the mixture. The major variable determining the extent of the reaction is the primary stored energy. The reaction efficiency, however, depends largely on the current pulse shape, which is characterized by the circuit parameters. In order to make the most efficient use of the pulsed power in driving the reaction the trigger wire should carry the current to near its peak value immediately before its explosion. This requirement uniquely determines the cross sectional area of the wire running through the center axis of a cylindrical slurry system, for a given set of primary energy and circuit inductance. As long as this requirement is fulfilled, the total mass of the wire or the length dictates the cross sectional area of the slurry around the wire which is going to undergo the reaction. There appears to be a range of the circuit inductance which helps generate a series of pulse shapes, effective for triggering the reaction in the slurry.