Dr. Eric Petersen’s research paper titled ‘Effect of shock strength on dust entrainment behind a moving shock wave’ was awarded the Best paper Award at the Tenth International Symposium on Hazards, Prevention, and Mitigation of Industrial Explosions (X ISHPMIE) that took place in Bergen, Norway. Each year, the symposium brings together researchers and engineers in the field of industrial explosion safety to discuss state-of-the-art technology for controlling the hazard posed by accidental explosions.
Petersen’s co-authors for the paper are Brandon Marks and Greg Johnston, graduate students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and Amira Chowdhury and M. S. Mannan from the Mary Kay O'Connor Process Safety Center in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University. A new facility was developed recently by the authors for the study of shock waves over dust layers, and Petersen presented the findings of this study at the symposium.
Secondary dust explosion is a serious industrial issue because it occurs under conditions corresponding to an increased quantity and concentration of dispersed combustible dust when compared with the primary explosion. The problems of lifting and dispersing of a dust layer behind a propagating shock wave must therefore be understood to ensure safety regarding secondary dust explosion hazards. A study was performed to demonstrate the capabilities of the new facility and to compare results with experimental trends formerly established in the literature.
Petersen is a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and his research interests include combustion, propulsion, shock waves, chemical kinetics, solid rocket propellants, laser diagnostics, spectroscopy, compressible flow, shock tubes, gas turbine combustion, fluid mechanics, aerosols, advanced additives, high-speed aerodynamics, and liquid rocket combustion.