skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Spontaneous electrostatic precipitation of dust. Research report

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7299769

The report provides fundamental research information on the electrostatic behavior of coal mine dust. The results will be used to help determine whether a precipitator should be designed that would function by the spontaneous exchange of electric charge between coal mine dust and polymer surfaces. The following conclusions were reached: (1) Electrification occurs upon contact of materials; rubbing is not required; (2) Electrification occurs by electron injection and not by polarization of dipoles; (3) The direction of electron transfer depends on the electron-donor or electron-acceptor character of the outermost surfaces of the materials in contact; (4) Some pairs of materials transferred as many as 4 x 10 to the 12th power electrons/cm; (5) Strong electrification of dusts took place in a fraction of a second, but weaker charge transfer took longer; (6) The transfer of charge between an insulated polymer surface and impinging dust particles diminishes as the surface charge builds up on the polymer; (7) The charge transfer characteristics of polymers were modified by incorporating acidic or basic additives. (GRA)

Research Organization:
Lehigh Univ., Bethlehem, PA (USA)
OSTI ID:
7299769
Report Number(s):
PB-222850/0; BM-OFR-55-73
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English