Research, Development and Application of Dust Suppression Technology

The coal industry faces significant challenges in the control of dust to meet emissions regulations and goals as well as ensuring sustainable operations. This paper describes some of the different techniques and innovative technologies that are being developed and implemented to improve the suppression of airborne dust, specifically through the use of high-energy micro-mist sprays. The utilisation of CFD modelling and simulation is identified and described as a key enabling technology for an improvement in dust suppression technology both from a level of understanding of the source and flow of dust emissions and for the development of new systems that can be used in the coal industry. CFD modelling is shown to be effective for modelling both spray dispersion and cross-wind effects allowing designers to develop high-efficiency dust suppression systems with a greatly improved level of confidence when compared to traditional techniques. New high-energy micro-mist technology is also outlined as a key element in developing high-efficiency dust suppression systems. Experimental results and industry applications are presented to demonstrate the significant improvements that can be achieved in suppressing or reducing airborne dust emissions.