Dust emission in powder handling: Free falling particle plume characterisation

Abstract

Dust generation during solids handling, principally from the free falling of bulk materials and their impact on stockpiles, can be a health threat for operators and a cause of dust explosions. The proper design of a dust emission control system requires knowledge of the behaviour of the free falling jet, in particular the amount of air entrained by the falling powder and the concentration of dust liberated. The focus in this present paper is on the effect of drop height of a free falling jet on segregation by particle size, particle velocity, changes in particle concentration and entrained air in the dust plume. This gives a quantification of the important parameters and the concentration of dust emitted during a free fall.