Experimental Investigation of the Electrical Resistivity of Cement Dust

Electrical resistivity is one of the important particle–based factors influencing the performance of an Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP), a particulate control device commonly employed in most cement industries in Nigeria. Therefore, this study investigated the electrical resistivity of Cement Kiln Dust (CKD) across nine locally-operated cement manufacturing plants in Nigeria with the aim of tracing causes of performance problems associated with the ESP used for dust control in the plants. Samples of CKD were collected from the ESPs of these plants and tested for their resistance using the two probe method. The measured electrical resistivities were in the range of 108 – 1011 Ω·cm and showed strong dependence on temperature and slight variation with particle size. The CKD’s resistivity increases as temperature rises from ambient to about 250℃ and declines as temperature rises above 300℃; Nevertheless, the resistivities are adaptable for efficient ESP performance in the collection of cement dust.