Study on the synergistic enhancement of foam wetting coal dust by surfactant compounding

Abstract

The formulation of binary foam dust suppressants represents an effective strategy for enhancing foam dust suppression efficiency. This study utilizes octylphenol ethoxylate (OP-5) and sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) for synergistic foam enhancement experiments and simulation studies. The results indicate that at the optimal OP-5/SDBS ratio of 12:24, the solution exhibits a static contact angle of 17.61°, a surface tension of 27.88mN/m, a coal dust settling time of 104.72 s, and a wind erosion resistance rate of 96.8 %. Additionally, the solution achieves a foaming capacity of 8.5-fold, with a concentrated foam area distribution and the lowest system stability index of −0.0971 min⁻¹ . At this ratio, the hydrophilic groups of the surfactant molecules exhibit the strongest interaction with water molecules, resulting in the slowest liquid film drainage rate. Meanwhile, the interaction energy between the coal and foam system is maximized, and the composite foam demonstrates the best wettability for coal dust. The absolute electrostatic potential values of the SDBS molecules and long flame coal molecules are higher than those of water molecules, facilitating the adsorption of water molecules onto the surfaces of these two molecules. Furthermore, SDBS molecules provide additional adsorption sites for water molecules on the coal dust surface. The research findings offer insights into novel multi-component foams.