Abstract
The objective of this research was to determine if the addition of a surfactant (wetting agent) to the water used for dust control in underground coal mines results in the reduction of airborne dust. Laboratory wettability tests (including the capillary rise test, a coal dust sinking test, and zeta potential measurements) were used to select a coal seam surfactant combination for in-mine testing. Four surfactants were selected for underground testing: surfynol 465, aerosol ma-80, DC-13, and dustallay. The underground tests in the lower Kittanning Seam, Indiana County, Pennsylvania, involved a Wilcox Mark 20 auger mining system equipped with spray nozzles located on the cutting augers, conflow venturi sprays, and a spray manifold. Respirable dust samples were provided by MSA Model G personal samplers and Simslin II instantaneous dust monitors; total airborne dust samples were provided by MSA Model G samplers with Unico filter cassettes. Based on data obtained from 24 test periods, surfactants, compared with plain water, reduced the airborne respirable dust an average of 27 percent and total airborne dust an average of 36 percent.
