Heat-producing compositions

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PREPARING IN DRY PARTICULATE FORM A COMPOSITION LIBERATING HEAT WHEN ADDED TO WATER, SAID COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY BY WEIGHT OF 2-8% ALUMINUM PARTICLES OF A SIZE AVERAGING FROM ABOUT 100350 PARTICLES PER GRAM, 40-67% ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND 20-40% BY WEIGHT SODIUM NITRATE, IN INTIMATE ADMIXTURE, SAID ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST TWICE THE THEORETICAL AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR COMBINATION WITH THE ALUMINUM, AND SAID SODIUM NITRATE BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REACT WITH HYDROGEN RELEASED IN THE REACTION OF ALUMINUM AND HYDROXIDE, WHICH METHOD INCLUDES THE STEPS OF PREPARING A SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-FREE MOLTEN MIXTURE OF SAID HYDROXIDE AND NITRATE, SOLIDFYING THE MIXTURE BY COOLING, SUBDIVIDING THE SOLIDIFIED MIXTURE INTO DISCRETE PARTICLES HAVING AN AVERAGE SIZE BETWEEN 10 AND 40 MESH, AND ADMIXING THE LASTNAMED PARTICLES WITH SAID ALUMINUM PARTICLES TO FORM SAID COMPOSITION.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PREPARING IN DRY PARTICULATE FORM A COMPOSITION LIBERATING HEAT WHEN ADDED TO WATER, SAID COMPOSITION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY BY WEIGHT OF 2-8% ALUMINUM PARTICLES OF A SIZE AVERAGING FROM ABOUT 100350 PARTICLES PER GRAM, 40-67% ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE AND 20-40% BY WEIGHT SODIUM NITRATE, IN INTIMATE ADMIXTURE, SAID ALKALI METAL HYDROXIDE BEING PRESENT IN AN AMOUNT AT LEAST TWICE THE THEORETICAL AMOUNT REQUIRED FOR COMBINATION WITH THE ALUMINUM, AND SAID SODIUM NITRATE BEING PRESENT IN AMOUNT SUFFICIENT TO REACT WITH HYDROGEN RELEASED IN THE REACTION OF ALUMINUM AND HYDROXIDE, WHICH METHOD INCLUDES THE STEPS OF PREPARING A SUBSTANTIALLY WATER-FREE MOLTEN MIXTURE OF SAID HYDROXIDE AND NITRATE, SOLIDFYING THE MIXTURE BY COOLING, SUBDIVIDING THE SOLIDIFIED MIXTURE INTO DISCRETE PARTICLES HAVING AN AVERAGE SIZE BETWEEN 10 AND 40 MESH, AND ADMIXING THE LASTNAMED PARTICLES WITH SAID ALUMINUM PARTICLES TO FORM SAID COMPOSITION.