Analytical Prediction of Coal Spontaneous Combustion Tendency: Pore Structure and Air Permeability

Bin Du (), Yuntao Liang, Fuchao Tian () and Baolong Guo
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Bin Du: China Coal Science Research Institute, Beijing 100013, China
Yuntao Liang: China Coal Science Research Institute, Beijing 100013, China
Fuchao Tian: China Coal Science Research Institute, Beijing 100013, China
Baolong Guo: State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Safety Technology, China Coal Technology and Engineering Group, Shenyang Research Institute, Shenfu Demonstration Zone, Fushun 113122, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 5, 1-19

Abstract: In previous research, many scientists and researchers have carried out related studies about the spontaneous combustion of coal at both the micro and the macro scales. However, the macroscale study of coal clusters and piles cannot reveal the nature of oxidation and combustion, and the mesoscale study of coal molecule and functional groups cannot be directly applied to engineering practice. According to our literature survey, coal is a porous medium and its spontaneous combustion is a multi-scale process. Thus, the mesoscale study of coal’s spontaneous combustion is essential. In this manuscript, the mesoscale of the coal body (such as pore size, pore volume, and specific surface area), and the meso-scale structural morphological characteristics of the coal surface are finely analyzed and characterized. On this basis, the meso-scale structure of pores and fractures are digitally reconstructed. Furthermore, velocity and pressure distributions of the flow field in the pores of the scan plane are outlined and described by numerical simulation. The results indicate that, because of the pore structure characteristics and fluid viscosity, not all fluids in the pores demonstrate flow. This conclusion well explains the source of CO gas in methane extraction pipes, which is one of the main index/indicator gases of the spontaneous combustion of coal.

Keywords: mesoscale; pore structure; fire risk assessment; coal spontaneous combustion; ignition tendency (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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