Nano vs micro : estimation and modelling of the dust explosion sensivity and severity

Abstract : An experimental investigation was carried out on the influence of dust concentration on raw multiwalled carbon nanotubes dust explosion. Results were compared with the explosion data obtained for microsized carbon black. Tests were mainly conducted thanks to a 20 L explosion sphere. It was found that these kind of carbon nanotubes represents a low explosion risk, in spite of the fact it could have been thought that nanotubes would be drastically more reactive than microsized carbon materials. A model based on mass and heat balances, assuming a first order oxidation kinetics, is used in order to represent the pressure evolution during the dust explosion. It has shown a good agreement with our experimental results.