Effect of particle size polydispersity on the minimum ignition temperature of PMMA dust clouds

Abstract

For minimum ignition temperature (MIT) values, the variation is not significant for blends with the same median particle size (D 50 ) but varying polydispersity (σ D ) However, the contribution of small particles to the ignition sensitivity in a G-G furnace should not be discarded due to small changes in MIT values. The ignition delay times and ignition probability are additional parameters that can be obtained by MIT testing. These are useful for further exploring the effect of polydisperse powders on explosion taking place in a G-G furnace. When studying the ignitability of dust clouds from a risk assessment perspective, the kurtosis and σ D should not be considered primary parameters for describing the particle size distribution of polydisperse dust. Compared to σ D and kurtosis, skewness (Sk g ) and Sauter mean diameter (D 3,2 ) provide a more accurate description of polydisperse dust particle size distributions because they are more correlated with the ignition delay time and ignition probability. • The MIT parameter is not very sensitive to polydisperse dust clouds with the same D 50. • Ignition delay times and the ignition probability are additional parameters that can be obtained by MIT testing. • The ignition probability escalation interval of PMMA is given (50–60 °C). • D 3,2 and skewness have a high potential for application in the field of dust explosions.