Dust particle sedimentation in the 20 L standard vessel for dust explosion tests

According to the current international standards, to perform the correct evaluation of the explosion and flammability parameters, a uniform distribution of the dust particles should be achieved inside the 20 L and/or 1 m3 standard vessels.CFD simulations have shown that in both standard test vessels (20 L and 1 m3), the dust particles are not uniformly dispersed, being mostly concentrated at the edge of the macro-vortices generated by the injection of the fluid and particle through the nozzle. In addition, only a partial fed of the particles is obtained, and dust particles sedimentation phenomena can occur.As a result, the dust participating to the reactive process may be much lower than the expected nominal concentration in the vessel due to sedimentation and incomplete feeding. Consequently, misleading values of the flammability/explosion parameters could be measured. Particle sedimentation and incomplete feeding depends both on the Stokes number and on the Reynolds number, whereas the concentration distribution depends on the turbulence level, the fluid flow maps, and the number of particles which enter into the vessel through the nozzle.The aim of this work is to evaluate the key parameters (particle size, particle density, and fluid velocity) affecting sedimentation and incomplete feeding in 20 L vessel. To this end, CFD simulations of dust dispersion are performed at varying the particle density and size. Operating maps, in terms of the key parameters and/or their dimensionless combinations, are developed and a correlation for correction of the data is proposed.

Automated summary

According to international standards, achieving a uniform distribution of dust particles within standard vessels is crucial for accurate evaluation of explosion and flammability parameters. CFD simulations reveal that the particles are mostly concentrated at the edges of the macro-vortices generated by fluid and particle injection, leading to incomplete feeding and sedimentation phenomena. This can result in misleading measurements of flammability/explosion parameters. The aim of this study is to evaluate the key parameters affecting sedimentation and incomplete feeding in a 20 L vessel and propose a correlation for data correction.