Wind tunnel study of iron ore dust emissions from stockpile and train wagons
摘要
This study presents the development of an experimental apparatus to evaluate dust emissions from stockpiles and train wagons, considering operational and environmental variables such as vibration, wind speed, rainfall, and solar radiation. The experimental setup includes a wind tunnel, a vibration system to simulate railway transport, controlled lamps to simulate solar radiation, and a dynamic weighing system to monitor material mass loss. The system also incorporates the application of solid dust suppressants directly to iron ore samples. The primary objective of this study is to compare three types of tests conducted on train wagons: (i) tests exposed solely to wind loads; (ii) tests with wagons under vibration; and (iii) tests incorporating both vibration and additional environmental conditions. Additionally, two types of tests with iron ore stockpiles were carried out to further assess the influence of these conditions on dust emissions. While the qualitative behavior of the tests remains consistent, with wagons without suppressants showing the highest mass loss, the overall amount of material lost quantitatively decreases as more variables are introduced. The results demonstrate that the developed apparatus can accurately assess the resistance of dust suppressants under more complex, real-world conditions, providing a more comprehensive understanding of their effectiveness in reducing particle emissions.