Dust explosions

Abstract

When mixed with air many natural or artificial types of dust may explode with an energy several times higher than the equivalent mass of TNT. The origin of the dust and its basic properties, which are important from the point of view of a dust explosion, are discussed in the paper. Special attention is focused on the problems of mixture formation, ignition and the subsequent flame propagation. Methods of evaluation of the structure and burning velocities for laminar and turbulent flames are given. Conditions for flame acceleration and transition to detonation are also discussed. Finally, the influence of both inert and reactive particles on homogeneous and dust mixture explosions is presented.