Spontaneous Combustion Characteristics of Coal by Using the Simultaneous Thermal analysis–Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Technique

ABSTRACT

Understanding the development process of coal oxidation reactions can aid in preventing coal spontaneous combustion. Oxidation heating experiments on anthracite, bituminous coal, and lignite at different heating rates were carried out using simultaneous thermal analysis–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (STA–FTIR). The experimental results show that combining TG, DSC, CO, CO₂ and H₂O curves in the spontaneous combustion process of coal, the maximum acceleration point T_a and maximum mass loss rate T₄ are important for judging the severity of the coal spontaneous combustion hazard. Meanwhile, T_a is more accurate as the ignition temperature point than the ignition temperature T₃. As the coal’s rank and heating rate increases, the characteristic temperatures moved to higher temperature. The higher degree of metamorphism has a higher ignition activation energy. Additionally, the reaction models for ignition activation energy between anthracite and bituminous coal changed from three-way transport to random nucleation and nuclei growth with the increase of metamorphic rank, but were not affected by the heating rate.

KEYWORDS:

• STA–FTIR technology
• coal metamorphism
• heating rate
• characteristic parameters
• ignition activation energy

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant No. 51404195], the National Natural Science Foundation of China: [Grant No. 51974236] and the Key Projects of Prevention and Controlling Technology of Major Accidents for Safety Production Funded by State Administration of Work Safety: [Grant No. Shanxi–0008–2016AQ].

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China [No. 51404195,No. 51974236].