APPLICATION OF ELECTROSTATICALLY CHARGED FOG TO THE SUPPRESSION OF RESPIRABLE DUST.

Typical industrial dusts acquired a charge when dispersed into the air. The respirable particulates (below three micrometers in size) were generally negative while the larger particles were either positive or neutral. Respirable dust can be induced to agglomerate and fall out if wetted properly. Effective wetting would involve spraying with droplets charged to a polarity opposite to that of the dust. This would encourage dust-droplet contact and result in dust neutralization. The wet and uncharged dust will agglomerate and fall out quite rapidly.