Wetting permeability of surface active agent droplets impacting on a layer of coal dust

Abstract

The wetting and penetration of the coal dust layer by liquid droplet is crucial for suppressing coal dust. A combination of experimental and simulation methods was employed to investigate the impact of surfactant concentration, droplet velocity, and particle size on the penetration properties and their underlying mechanisms. Droplet impact wetting experiments were employed to evaluate their dynamic wetting behavior on the coal dust layer. The experimental results show that increasing the impact velocity of droplets is advantageous for enhancing the maximum dimensionless wetting length. Increasing the surfactant concentration can expedite the droplet reaching maximum dimensionless wetting volume in the dust layer. The larger the particle size of coal dust, the shorter time required for droplet to reach maximum wetting volume. The research results provide a theoretical basis for selecting and efficiently applying surfactants in treating coal dust.