Effect of metal coating on physicochemical properties of ceramic foam for flame suppression application

Abstract

Combustible dust may result in a catastrophic dust explosion with much larger accident consequences than gas explosions. In this study, porous materials are explored as a promising solution for mitigating explosions. This study focussed on the investigation of aluminium powder explosion in the influence of ceramic foam, with and without coating with non-precious nickel nanopowders. The microscopic properties and structural characteristics of the ceramic foam were analyzed using X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffractometry, and scanning electron microscopy. The findings revealed that the nickel-coated ceramic foams are non-uniform and almost spherical in shape, with obvious agglomerations of metallic-silica present on the strut structure. Compared to non-coated ceramic, it can be said that nickel-coated ceramic foams demonstrate a significant reduction in maximum overpressure by approximately 10%. This suggests that the interconnected micro-network structure of the nickel-ceramic walls aids in quenching the flame of the aluminium dust explosion and hence, suppressing the overpressure.