Study on the effect of particle morphology on transient dispersion behavior and ignition of Al-Mg alloy powder

Particle morphology has a significant effect on the explosion of energetic dust which includes heat transfer and transient dispersion behavior. This study aimed to investigate the differences in transient dispersion characteristics of Al-Mg alloy powders with different shapes using Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) and to elucidate their effects on subsequent flame propagation and explosion parameters. The results demonstrated that irregular dust exhibited lower agglomeration and terminal fall velocity (TFV) compared to spherical dust, leading to a higher overall concentration of dust involved in the explosion. In addition, the turbulence intensity in the critical ignition zone of irregular particles was relatively high, resulting in particles having more active motion characteristics during the initial ignition phase. Therefore, irregular dust exhibited more intense flame phenomena and higher explosion parameters. These findings emphasize the importance of considering particle morphology when assessing the risk associated with metal dust explosions.