Suspension characteristics of the coal-quartz dust mixture in the working environment during the fully mechanized mining process

Abstract

Abstract Dust exposures during mining activity can result in lung diseases such as Coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis, which are closely related to quartz dust. In the present study, coal-quartz dust mixture were investigated considering the particle size and the specific constituents. Multiple numerical techniques, including Computational Fluid Dynamics and Discrete Element Method (CFD-DEM), hard sphere model and direct monte carlo simulation (DSMC) were presented, and the dust diffusion process was investigated. According to the validation of the numerical model, the suspension characteristics of the polydisperse mixed dust were analyzed in detail. The results show that PM10 responds quickly with good following performance with the air flow. The particle size increases gradually from top to bottom. When the air velocity is low, the percentage of coal dust in the breathing zone tends to be 50%. The results provide theoretical guidance for the comprehensive prevention of the mixed dust in underground coal mines.