Experimental Study on Sensitivity of Porosity to Pressure and Particle Size in Loose Coal Media

Chenghao Zhang, Nong Zhang, Dongjiang Pan, Deyu Qian, Yanpei An, Yuxin Yuan, Zhe Xiang and Yang Wang
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Chenghao Zhang: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Nong Zhang: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Dongjiang Pan: State Key Laboratory of Shield Machine and Boring Technology, China Railway Tunnel Group Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou 450001, China
Deyu Qian: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yanpei An: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yuxin Yuan: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Zhe Xiang: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Yang Wang: Key Laboratory of Deep Coal Resource Mining, Ministry of Education of China, School of Mines, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China

Energies, 2018, vol. 11, issue 9, 1-19

Abstract: A new experimental method for characterizing the porosity of loose media subjected to overburden pressure is proposed based on the functional relationships between porosity, true density, and bulk density. This method is used to test the total porosity of loose coal particles from the Guobei coal mine in Huaibei mining area, China, in terms of the influence of pressure and particle size on total porosity. The results indicate that the total porosity of loose coal under 20 MPa in situ stress is about 10.22%. The total porosity and pressure obey an attenuated exponential function, while the total porosity and particle size obey a power function. The total porosity of the loose coal is greatly reduced and the sensitivity is high with increased pressure when stress levels are low (shallow burial conditions). However, total porosity is less sensitive to pressure at higher stress when burial conditions are deep. The effect of particle size on the total porosity reduction rate in loose coal is not significant, regardless of low- or high-pressure conditions; i.e., the sensitivity is low. The total porosity remains virtually unchanged as particle size changes when pressure exceeds 20 MPa. Overall, the sensitivity of total porosity to pressure is found to be significantly higher than sensitivity to particle size.

Keywords: loose media; coal; porosity; true density; bulk density; overburden pressure; particle size (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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