Project description DEENESFRITPL Relegating the 'powder keg' to a thing of the past More than 70 % of powders processed in industrial plants are combustible. The potential for explosion and fire imposes significant risks not only of financial losses but also injuries and fatalities. Even flour and grain dust have led to catastrophic explosions in mills, often caused by electrostatic discharges. However, characterising and quantifying the rate at which powder flows charge remain a significant challenge. The EU-funded PowFEct project is building on the first-ever simulations that coupled fluid mechanics, surface science and electrostatics successfully revealing that distinct flow mechanisms determine the charging rate of powder. The current work will significantly enhance our understanding through a cycle of experimental and theoretical methodologies leading to the development of a theoretical model and an open-source tool to support safer powder processing in a variety of industrial applications. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective The electrification of powder flows is one of the most pervasive phenomena in environmental processes and of tremendous importance for technical applications. In industrial plants, excessive electrostatic charges can even lead to hazardous sparks, which have caused numerous catastrophic dust explosions in the past. However, despite its long history of investigation, it is not currently possible to predict the buildup, transport, and accumulation of charge.Starting from 2015, I developed a numerical approach with the important capability to couple the involved scientific disciplines – fluid mechanics (turbulent carrier flow), surface science (triboelectric particle charging), and electrostatics (forces between charges). The first ever fully-resolved simulations revealed that the occurrence of distinct physical flow mechanisms determines the charging rate of powder. This knowledge opens a new way to control the electrification through triggering these mechanisms and, thus, to solve the problem finally. To this end, this proposal aims to develop a novel interdisciplinary computational tool. This task includes establishing several new numerical concepts, such as a single-particle charging model. Beyond the state-of-the-art single-particle and powder flow electrification experiments which both employ innovative measurement methodologies will support the theoretical efforts. The proposed test set-ups will bring about a paradigm shift by quantifying, for the first time, reproducible, facility independent data, tailored specifically to complement the model formulation.The successful project will provide an open-source tool that enables the prediction, evaluation, and limitation of electrostatic charges. To this respect, the research aims not only to prevent accidents in industrial facilities but also to understand the physics of other kinds of electrifying powder flows and to solve a long-standing scientific riddle. Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistory Keywords electrostatics triboelectricity Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2020-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2020-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-STG - Starting Grant Host institution PHYSIKALISCH-TECHNISCHE BUNDESANSTALT Net EU contribution € 1 471 225,00 Address BUNDESALLEE 100 38116 Braunschweig Germany See on map Region Niedersachsen Braunschweig Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 471 225,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all PHYSIKALISCH-TECHNISCHE BUNDESANSTALT Germany Net EU contribution € 1 471 225,00 Address BUNDESALLEE 100 38116 Braunschweig See on map Region Niedersachsen Braunschweig Braunschweig, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 471 225,00
