Study of spray atomization law and dust suppression effect of a wet dust catcher on a hydraulic support.

To control effectively large dust concentrations and their diffusion during coal cutting and shifting of shearers at fully mechanized mining faces, a wet dust catcher on a hydraulic support was developed. The spray nozzle suitable for wet dust collection devices was optimized through spray experiments, and the effects of the spray pressure Pw and nozzle tilt angle θ on the droplet size and fog field concentration were analyzed with Fluent. The numerical simulation results show that the wide-angle solid cone nozzle (with an X-type swirl core) with a diameter of 2.4 mm, water pressure Pw of 6 MPa, and nozzle tilt angle θ of 10° toward the windward side can form a better water curtain. Finally, the wet dust catcher was applied at a 22104 fully mechanized mining face of the Shangwan Coal Mine. The dust removal rate of the shearer driver reached 86.20 %, and that at other positions reached 85 % on average. Evidently, the hydraulic support wet dust catcher can effectively control the diffusion of coal dust at fully mechanized mining faces. Designed a wet dust catcher on a hydraulic support. And through the spray experiment platform and Fluent simulation software, the droplet size, fog field concentration and effective fog field range of the device were analyzed, and nozzle diameter, the optimal spray pressure and nozzle tilt angle of the device were obtained. The dust can be effectively controlled by field application and actual measurement at a 22104 fully mechanized mining face in Jinjitan Coal Mine. [Display omitted] • A new automatic wet dust collection device for coal mines has been developed. • Spraying, a vortex airflow, and dust collecting nets are combined to reduce dust. • The dust reduction rate at the driver's seat of the coal shearer reaches 90.1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]