Comprehensive Design and Performance Validation of a Wind Tunnel for Advanced Respirable Dust Deposition Investigations

Details

• Personal Author:
  Aboelezz A ; Beltran M ; Hargather MJ ; Hassanalian M ; Roghanchi P
• Description:
  This study presents the comprehensive design and performance validation of a wind tunnel specifically developed for advanced investigations into respirable dust deposition pertinent to coal mining environments. The design integrates a constant particle delivery system engineered to maintain uniform particle dispersion, which is critical for replicating real-world conditions in coal mines. Our methodology involved using ANSYS Fluent for the design and optimization of a blowing-type wind tunnel, with a focus on controlling turbulence levels and minimizing pressure drops, which are crucial for accurate dust behaviour simulation. The core of our research emphasizes the deployment of the Aerosol Lung Deposition Apparatus (ALDA) alongside a custom dust injection system to measure particle distributions within the test section. This setup enabled us to simulate the inhalation of coal dust particles, providing a realistic scenario for assessing potential hazards to miners. Validation of the tunnel's performance was achieved through extensive testing with dust sensors and a hot-wire anemometer, which verified the airflow velocity and turbulence against the initial design specifications. The findings affirm the wind tunnel's capability to effectively model dust deposition and its impacts, thereby offering opportunities for enhancing miner safety and health standards. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Coal Coal Mining Dust Mining Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Computational Fluid Dynamics CFD Coal Mining Computational Fluid Dynamics Dust Particles Dust Velocity Particle Aerodynamics Respirable Dust Sensors Simulation Methods Wind Tunnel

  More +
• ISSN:
  0304-3894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Contract
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Birmingham Region [OSHA] ; Dallas Region [OSHA] ; Kentucky ; New Mexico
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  478
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070110
• Citation:
  J Hazard Mater 2024 Oct; 478:135516
• Contact Point Address:
  Mostafa Hassanalian, Department of Mechincal Engineering, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM 87801, USA
• Email:
  mostafa.hassanalian@nmt.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2025
• Performing Organization:
  New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20190915
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Hazardous Materials
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8d8d98c2eb38992ef3ca9ecadd1b02b1eaef34bedf9c19bf7c566c2cb4cba3056efd9ae46df584fa46dd6c86a2c75e9eec5fce216b72705d049708b952efda67
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208399/cdc_208399_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 20.18 MB ]