Experimental investigation on the interaction process between coal particles and foam

Abstract

The utilization of foam for coal dust control has been proven to be an efficient clean technology. To investigate the interaction between coal particles and foam, the process that coal particles settling onto foam was captured via a high-speed camera in this research. The changes of the foam film and the dispersion of coal particles in the foam system during the interaction process were observed. The results revealed that the deformation and rupture of the foam film are the main modes that alleviating the impact of the coal particles. When a coal particle adhered to the foam film, it would slide on the foam film along the following path in order: from the film, to the Plateau borders, finally arrived at the vertices. Two distinct stages of coal dust removal using foam were identified. The forces acting on a coal particle during the two stages were modelled mathematically. The results are meaningful for a profound understanding of the coal dust capture process using foam.