Wetting Behavior of Hydrophobic Dust and Dust-Fall Theory of Fine Droplets

The wetting behavior of droplets on the surfaces of hydrophobic coal slices is measured with a CCD camera and simulated with the volume of fluid (VOF) numerical method. Experimental results reveal that the contact angle changes exponatially with time and the wettability decreases with the increasing rough microstructures of coal slice surfaces. There is a good agreement between numerical simulations and experimental results. Meanwhile, it is found that droplet with a smaller volume can enhance the hydrophilic. The dust-fall theory of fine droplets is useful to improve the wettability of dust and enlarge the contact ratio between dust and droplets, which can help to design wet-type dust-fall equipment and provide new way for the control of respiratory dust.