ANALYSIS OF COAL DUST EXPLOSION PREVENTION USING GYPSUM DUST THROUGH LABORATORY-SCALE TESTS

• Main Author: Nyoman Gading Prasada, I
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/86365
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Coal dust explosions are one of the primary hazards in underground mining operations. To prevent them, the use of gypsum dust as an inerting material has been tested in laboratory-scale experiments. This study analyzes the effect of gypsum dust size and ratio on explosion pressure, rate of pressure rise, and the critical ratio of coal dust explosions. The testing was conducted using a USBM 20- L Explosion Chamber with a coal concentration of 600 g/m³ and a 5 kJ ignitor. The gypsum dust used had particle sizes of 177-74 ?m and 74-37 ?m, while the coal dust particle size was 53-44 ?m. The results showed that smaller particle sizes (74- 37 ?m) were more effective in reducing explosion pressure and the rate of pressure rise, with the critical explosion ratio found at 59,9% for the 177-74 ?m size and 58,7% for the 74-37 ?m size. Furthermore, the higher the ratio of coal dust compared to gypsum dust, the higher the explosion pressure and the rate of pressure rise.