(203c) Effect of Particle Morphology on Dust Cloud Dynamics

Dust explosions are a serious threat to the process industry. To tackle the problem of dust explosion, many studies have investigated the factors that influence dust explosion parameters. These studies list dust size, chemical composition, polydispersity etc. as major factors that affect dust explosions, but particle shape or morphology has often been overlooked. A recent study has shown particle shape impacts the minimum ignition energy (MIE) of a dust. This is because a higher specific surface area leads to lower conductive heat resistance, thereby enhancing ignition. While particle shape affects the heat transfer process which impacts the dust MIE, another important characteristic influenced by particle shape is cloud dynamics (cloud concentration, turbulence etc.). To understand the influence of particle shape on dust explosion parameters, understanding of both heat transfer and dust cloud dynamics as a function of particle shape is necessary. Even though attention has been given to the heat transfer aspect, work is required to understand the influence of particle morphology on the cloud aerodynamics.

In this work, a high-speed digital in-line holography (DIH) method is employed to determine the flow field of aluminum particles when dispersed in the Kühner MIKE3 MIE apparatus. This technique helps identify the impact of particle morphology (spherical and irregular) on dispersion characteristics such as velocity and volume density within the ignition zone.

Understanding cloud dynamics and identifying the role of particle morphology on dust cloud characteristics is crucial in determining the subsequent effect on explosion parameters such as MIE and the resulting risk assessment for solids processing.