Abstract
Limestone rock dust is used in many coal mines to inertize coal dust and prevent mine explosions. Since rock dusting creates a nuisance to workers downwind from the dust application, suppliers are offering wet and foam-applied rock dust products. Researchers at the Colorado School of Mines have constructed a full-size explosion test drift where they can generate controlled explosions at defined wind speeds of 30–50 m/s, the minimum wind speed that can entrain coal dust and propagate coal dust explosions. Initial results with different wet-applied, that then dried rock dust products suggest that explosive forces break-up clumps of the rock dust, but this wet-applied dust does not disperse as easily as dry-applied dust. Also, hydrophobized rock dust and dust meeting German specifications disperses more readily.
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Brune, J.F., Gilmore, R.C. (2019). Explosive Testing of Rock Dust Dispersibility for Coal Dust Explosion Prevention. In: Chang, X. (eds) Proceedings of the 11th International Mine Ventilation Congress. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1420-9_16
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1420-9_16
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