Deformed coal types and pore characteristics in Hancheng coalmines in Eastern Weibei coalfields

Based on SEM observance, the methods of low-temperature nitrogen and isothermal adsorption were used to test and analyze the coal samples of Hancheng, and pore structure characteristics of tectonic coals were discussed. The results indicate that in the same coal rank, stratification and crack are well developed in cataclastic coal, which is mostly filled by mineral substance in the geohydrologic element abundance, results in pore connectivity variation. Granulated and mylonitic coal being of these characteristics, as develop microstructures and exogenous fractures as well as large quantity of pores resulted from gas generation and strong impermeability, stimulate the recovery of seepage coal, improve coal connectivity and enhance reservoir permeability. Absorption pore (micro-pore) is dominant in coal pore for different coal body structure, the percentage of which pore aperture is from 1 to 100 nm is 71.44% to 88.15%, including large of micro-pore with the 74.56%–94.70%; with the deformation becoming more intense in the same coal rank, mesopore enlarge further, open-end pores become thin-neck-bottle-shaped pores step by step, specific surface area of micro-pore for cataclastic coal is 0.0027 m²/g, while mylonitic coal increases to 7.479 m²/g, micro-pore gradually play a dominant role in effecting pore structural parameters.     

Fractal dimension of coal particles and their CH4 adsorption

We describe the fractal analysis of three differently sized coal samples (0.350–0.833 mm, 0.245–0.350 mm, and 0.198–0.245 mm). The influence of fractal dimension on CH₄ adsorption capacity is investigated. The physical parameters of the samples were determined via the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) theory. A CH₄ adsorption study over the pressures range from 0 to 5 MPa was carried out with a new volumetric measurement system. The CH₄ adsorption was measured using the differently sized coal. Two fractal dimensions, D₁ and D₂ were determined over the pressure ranges from 0 to 0.5 MPa and from 0.5 to 1 MPa, using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) method. We conclude that the two fractal dimensions correlate with the CH₄ adsorption capacity of the coal: increasing CH₄ adsorption capacity occurs with a corresponding increase in fractal dimension. Furthermore, D₁ and D₂ are positively correlated with surface area, pore volume, and samples size. The size distribution of the samples has fractal characteristics.     

改性麦草秸秆对活性艳红的吸附动力学研究

为实现农作物秸秆资源化,解决印染废水难处理问题,将麦草秸秆经过化学改性后制备成一种有效吸附染料的吸附剂,通过静态实验,研究了吸附剂对不同质量浓度、温度和振荡速度下对活性艳红的吸附动力学特性,并考察了在不同pH值、麦草投加量下,改性麦草秸秆对活性艳红吸附效果的影响。分别用伪一级动力学方程、伪二级动力学方程、Elovich方程和颗粒内扩散方程进行拟合。结果表明:改性麦草秸秆对活性艳红的吸附动力学过程可以用伪二级动力学模型进行很好地描述,颗粒内扩散模型表明,颗粒内扩散为主要速率控制步骤。吸附活化能为17.21kJ／mol,说明该吸附过程以物理吸附为主。     

液态水对煤吸附甲烷影响的机理分析

为了研究液态水对煤吸附甲烷影响的机理,进行了不同煤级干燥煤样、平衡水煤样和注水煤样等温吸附实验,基于分子间作用力对液态水影响机理进行分析,并用维里方程拟合等温吸附实验结果来验证.结果表明,煤基质的润湿程度是液态水影响煤吸附甲烷的主要因素.干燥煤样中煤与甲烷分子间作用力远大于甲烷分子间作用力,第二维里系数较低,吸附能力强;平衡水煤样中煤与水分子氢键能高于范德华力,气态水分子竞争吸附,第二维里系数偏高,煤基质吸附能力弱;注水煤样中煤与甲烷分子之间长程作用力和甲烷与水分子之间短程作用力之和较小,与甲烷分子间作用力相当,第二维里系数最高,煤基质吸附能力很低.煤级增高,煤基质表面极性及其润湿程度降低,第二维里系数随之降低.     

Unanticipated multiple seam stresses from pillar systems behaving as pseudo gob–case histories

Underground coal mining in the U.S. is conducted in numerous regions where previous workings exist above and/or below an actively mined seam. Miners know that overlying or underlying fully extracted coal areas, also known as gob regions, can result in abutment stresses that affect the active mining. If there was no full extraction, and the past mining consists entirely of intact pillars, the stresses on the active seam are usually minimal. However, experience has shown that in some situations there has been sufficient yielding in overlying or underlying pillar systems to cause stress transfer to the adjoining larger pillars or barriers, which in turn, transfer significant stresses onto the workings of the active seam. In other words, the overlying or underlying pillar system behaves as a ‘‘pseudo gob." The presence of a pseudo gob is often unexpected, and the consequences can be severe. This paper presents several case histories, summarized briefly below, that illustrate pseudo gob phenomenon:(1) pillar rib degradation at a West Virginia mine at 335 m depth that contributed to a rib roll fatality,(2) pillar rib deterioration at a Western Kentucky mine at 175 m depth that required pillar size adjustment and installation of supplemental bolting,(3) roof deterioration at an eastern Kentucky mine at 400 m depth that stopped mine advance and required redirecting the section development,(4) coal burst on development at an eastern Kentucky mine at 520 m depth that had no nearby pillar recovery, and(5) coal burst on development at a West Virginia mine at the relatively shallow depth of 335 m that also had no nearby pillar recovery. The paper provides guidance so that when an operation encounters a potential pseudo gob stress interaction the hazard can be mitigated based on an understanding of the mechanism encountered.     

Temperature influence on macro-mechanics parameter of intact coal sample containing original gas from Baijiao Coal Mine in China

Investigation of temperature effect on mechanical parameters of coal is very important for understanding the mechanical response of coal bed at high temperature. It is especially beneficial for mitigating the thermal-induced disasters occurred in those coal mines suffering from heat hazard. In this work, coal samples, obtained from the No. 2442 working face of Baijiao Coal Mine, were subjected to uniaxial compression ranging from 20 to 40 °C with an interval of 5 °C. The apparatus used was designed to obtain deformation of a stressed sample, as well as the emission of gases desorbing from coal matrix. The adsorbed gas desorption caused by heating is measured during the entire testing. It is evident that the concentrations of releasing gas (containing methane, carbon dioxide and ethane) slightly rise with increasing temperature. Gas movement observed is closely related to the deformation of coal sample. Both uniaxial compressive strength and elastic modulus of coal samples tend to reduce with temperature. It reveals that increasing temperature can not only result in thermal expansion of coal, but also lead to desorption of preexisting gas in coal which can in turns harden coal due to shrinks of the coal matrix. Even though desorption of adsorbed gas can contribute to the hardening effect for the heated coal, by comparison to the results, it could be inferred that the softening of coal resulted from thermal expansion still predominates changes in mechanical characters of coal sample with temperature at the range from 20 to 40 °C.     

Controlling the coal dust at transshipment point: A study of the foam-sol foaming device

In order to effectively control the dust at the transshipment point with foam-sol, this paper attempted to study the characteristics of dust diffusion at transshipment point and the foam-sol foaming device with diffusion outlet was also designed in this paper. To study the diffusion rules of coal dust, fluent discrete phase model was utilized in the numerical simulation, as the coal dust was thrown down at a horizontal velocity of 2.5 m/s. A foam-sol foaming device was designed, through which foaming agent could be automatically sucked into the Venturi by the negative pressure. The automatic controller was also equipped, which could transform the energy of the compressed air into the constant pressure difference so that the gelling agent could be qualitatively added into the gel container. The diffusion outlet that could spray out foam-sol in a continuous, conical and 3D manner was also designed. Moreover, this paper also carried out the contrast experiments on dust removal efficiency among water, aqueous foam and foam-sol. The results clearly show that the symmetrical whirlpools appeared below the inlet where the largest whirlpool diameter was 0.52 m, and the horizontal distance from swirl range to the inlet was approximately 0.69 m. By using the self-designed foaming device, the foaming was multiplied by 30 times and the volume ratio with water and foaming agent reached 95%:5%. In this context, the gas pressure was controlled at 0.3 MPa, with gas flow at 15 m³/h and water flow at 0.5 m³/h, with water pressure controlled between 0.34 and 0.36 MPa. The foam-sol has the highest dust removal efficiency than other agents.     

Adsorption of K+ from an aqueous phase onto an activated carbon used as an electric double-layer capacitor electrode

The adsorption capacity and absorption rate for electrolyte onto activated carbon are important parameters used to characterize activated carbon electric double-layer capacitor electrodes. In this paper the pore structure of typical commercial activated carbons, and various Mn-doped activated carbons prepared on a laboratory scale, are described. The pore structure was characterized by N2 adsorption/desorption isotherms. Isotherms for K+ adsorption onto these activated carbons from the aqueous phase were also obtained. The experimental, equilibrium K+ adsorption data were fitted to the Langmuir, Freundlich or Temkin equations. Adsorption of K+ onto the activated carbons was measured and plotted as a function of time. The adsorption kinetic data were modeled by either pseudo-first or pseudo-second order equations. The Elvoich equation, a liquid film diffusion and an intra-particle diffusion model were used to fit the kinetic data. The results indicate that the adsorption of K+ onto activated carbon is influenced by many factors including pore size distribution, specific surface area and the surface chemistry of the activated carbons. The Temkin equation best describes the equilibrium adsorption data. The pseudo-second order model exactly describes the whole adsorption process, which is controlled by both liquid film and intra-particle diffusion.     

Time evolution of coal structure during low temperature air oxidation

The time evolution of coal structure during low temperature oxidation was investigated by oxidizing coal samples in air at 120 °C for periods of up to 14 days. The structure of the oxidized coal samples was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and curve fitting analysis. The results show that carboxyl and ether groups are the main oxygen containing moieties in oxidized coal. Ethers are most abundant during the first 3 days of oxidation, thereafter carboxyl groups predominate. The content of carboxyl and ester functionality increases with oxidation time. The other oxygen containing groups vary in concentration over time. The amount of hydroxyl groups first decreases then increases and finally decrease again during the oxidation. The aliphatic structure and the degree of branching of the aliphatic chains is reduced as the oxidation proceeds. The proportion of aromatic structure increases with oxidation time. Obvious decomposition of aromatic rings occurs after about 9 days of oxidation. The aryl ester bands and the CH₃/CH₂ ratio both have a good linear relationship to oxidation time.     

Improved analytic methods for coal surface area and pore size distribution determination using 77 K nitrogen adsorption experiment

77 K nitrogen adsorption was the most widely used technique for determining surface area and pore size distribution of coal. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) and Barrett–Joyner–Halenda (BJH) model are commonly used analytic methods for adsorption/desorption isotherm. A Chinese anthracite coal is tested in this study using an improved experimental method and adsorption isotherm analyzed by three adsorption mechanisms at different relative pressure stages. The result shows that the micropore filling adsorption predominates at the relative pressure stage from 6.8E−7 to 9E−3. Theoretically, BET and BJH model are not appropriate for analyzing coal samples which contain micropores. Two new analytic procedures for coal surface area and pore size distribution calculation are developed in this work. The results show that BET model underestimates surface area, and micropores smaller than 1.751 nm account for 35.5% of the total pore volume and 74.2% of the total surface area. The investigation of surface area and pore size distribution by incorporating the influence of micropore is significant for understanding adsorption mechanism of methane and carbon dioxide in coal.     

Kinetics and mechanism of the adsorption of methylene blue onto ACFs

The kinetics and mechanism of methylene blue (MB) adsorption onto activated carbon fibers (ACFs) have been studied.The effects of various experimental parameters, such as the initial MB concentration and the ACF mass, on the adsorption rate were investigated. Equilibrium data were fit well by a Freundlich isotherm equation. Adsorption measurements show that the process is very fast. The adsorption data were modeled using first- and second-order kinetic equations and intra-particle diffusion models. It was found that the first-order kinetic equation could best describe the adsorption kinetics. The adsorption process was found to be complex and controlled by both surface and pore diffusion with surface diffusion at the earlier stages, followed by pore diffusion at the later stages. The thermodynamic parameters △G0, △S0 and △H0, have been calculated. The thermodynamics of the MB-ACF system indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous.     

A numerical simulation of the influence initial temperature has on the propagation characteristics of,and safe distance from,a gas explosion

A model roadway with a cross-sectional area of 80 mm × 80 mm and a length of 100 m was used to estimate the overpressure, the temperature, the density, and the combustion rate during an explosion. AutoReaGas software was used for the calculations and the initial temperatures were 248, 268, 308, or 328 K. The methane–air mixture had a fuel concentration of 9.5% and the tunnel had a filling ratio of 10%. The results show that the safe distance necessary to avoid harm from the shock wave increases with increasing initial temperature. The distance where the peak overpressure begins to rise, and where the maximum value occurs, increases as the initial temperature increases. These are almost linear functions of the initial temperature. At locations before shock wave attenuation has occurred increasing the initial temperature linearly increases the maximum temperature at each point following along the tunnel. At the same time, the peak overpressure, the maximum density, and the maximum combustion rate decrease linearly. However, after the shock wave has attenuated the attenuation extent of the peak overpressure decreases with an increase in initial temperature. The influence of the initial temperature on the explosion propagation depends on the combined effects of inhibiting and enhancing factors. The research results can provide a theoretical guidance for gas explosion disaster relief and treatment in underground coal mines.     

Seismic studies of coal bed methane content in the west coal mining area of Qinshui Basin

The coal bed methane content (CBMC) in the west mining area of Jincheng coalfield, southeastern Qinshui Basin, is studied based on seismic data and well-logs together with laboratory measurements. The results show that the Shuey approximation has better adaptability according to the Zoeppritz equation result; the designed fold number for an ordinary seismic data is sufficient for post-stack data but insufficient for pre-stack data regarding the signal to noise ratio (SNR). Therefore a larger grid analysis was created in order to improve the SNR. The velocity field created by logging is better than that created by stack velocity in both accuracy and effectiveness. A reasonable distribution of the amplitude versus offset (AVO) attributes can be facilitated by taking the AVO response from logging as a standard for calibrating the amplitude distribution. Some AVO attributes have a close relationship with CBMC. The worst attribute is polarization magnitude, for which the correlation coefficient is 0.308; and the best attribute is the polarization product from intercept, of which the correlation coefficient is ?0.8136. CBMC predicted by AVO attributes is better overall than that predicted by direct interpolation of CBMC; the validation error of the former is 14.47%, which is lower than that of the latter 23.30%. CBMC of this area ranges from 2.5 m³/t to 22 m³/t. Most CBMC in the syncline is over 10 m³/t, but it is below 10 m³/t in the anticline; on the whole, CBMC in the syncline is higher than that in anticline.     

Experimental and MD simulation of 3-dodecyloxypropanamine and 3-tetradecyloxypropylamine adsorbed onto quartz (1 0 1) surface

In this paper, two surfactants, 3-dodecyloxypropanamine (DOPA) and 3-tetradecyloxypropylamine (TOPA), were synthesized and used as collectors in the quartz micro-flotation in the laboratory. Micro-flotation tests, FT-IR, XPS measurements, and ab initio Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations were conducted to research DOPA, TOPA, and dodecylamine (DDA)'s adsorption mechanisms onto quartz (1 0 1) surfaces. The results of micro-flotation show that the adsorption of DOPA and TOPA onto quartz surface is more robust than that of DDA. The zeta-potential result shows that the DOPA/TOPA was adsorbed on quartz through electrostatic attraction. Then, MD simulation adsorption models were built to compare the computational properties of the three surfactants, such as the radial distribution function, and the interaction energies between the collectors and the quartz cleavage surface. The interaction energies of surfactants (RNH₃⁺ or RNH₂) on the quartz surface explained why the pH range of DOPA/TOPA is wider than that of DDA. XPS analyses and MD simulations confirmed that DOPA bonded with the (1 0 1) surface of quartz through three types of hydrogen bonds between the NH₂ of DOPA and the O atom of quartz. The hydrogen bonds of type A and type C were the most likely type and more potent than those of type B.     

Constitutive model for methane desorption and diffusion based on pore structure differences between soft and hard coal

This paper aims to improve the accuracy and applicability of gas diffusion mathematical models from coal particles. Firstly, a new constitutive model for gas diffusion from coal particles with tri-disperse pore structure is constructed by considering the difference in characteristics between soft coal and hard coal.The analytical solution is then derived, that is, the quantitative relationship between gas diffusion rate(Qt/Q_∞) and diffusion time(t), The pore structure parameters of soft coal and hard coal from Juji coal mine are determined. Gas diffusion rules are numerically calculated and investigated by physical simulation methods. Lastly, the applicability of this model is verified. The results show that the homogeneous model only applies to the gas diffusion process of hard coal during the initial 10 min. The calculation results from this model and the physical experimental results of soft coal and hard coal are nearly identical during the initial 30 min.     

Zonal extraction technology and numerical simulation analysis in open pit coal mine

In order to enhance coal recovery ratio of open pit coal mines, a new extraction method called zonal mining system for residual coal around the end-walls is presented. The mining system can improve economic benefits by exploiting haulage and ventilation roadways from the exposed position of coal seams by utilizing the existing transportation systems. Moreover, the main mining parameters have also been discussed. The outcome shows that the load on coal seam roof is about 0.307 MPa and the drop step of the coal seam roof about 20.3 m when the thickness of cover and average volume weight are about 120 m and 0.023 MN/m³ respectively. With the increase of mining height and width, the coal recovery ratio can be improved. However, when recovery ratio is more than 0.85, the average stress on the coal pillar will increase tempestuously, so the recovery ratio should also be controlled to make the coal seam roof safe. Based on the numerical simulation results, it is concluded that the ratio of coal pillar width to height should be more than 1.0 to make sure the coal pillars are steady, and there are only minor displacements on the end-walls.     

Effect of the column height on the performance of liquid–solid fluidized bed for the separation of coarse slime

A liquid–solid fluidized bed separator, used for the separation of coarse slime, was developed. Test particles sized in the range from 0.25 to 0.5, 0.5 to 1.0, and 0.25 to 1.0 mm were separated in the liquid–solid fluidized bed. Beds with column heights of 1200, 1500, and 1800 mm were tried. The clean coal and the tailings were subsequently analyzed by float–sink testing. The results showed that the ash and yield of clean coal both decreased with increasing column height, for all three size fractions, and that the ash of the clean coal obtained from tests on the broader size fraction was less than that from the narrower sized fractions. The separation density decreased with increasing column height. The lowest E value was seen for a column height of 1500 mm, for which conditions the separation density was 1.45 g/cm³. The E value was 0.084 for the 0.25–0.5 mm fraction but the corresponding separation density was 1.48 g/cm³, and the E value 0.089, for the broader 0.25–1.0 mm fraction.     

Combustion characteristics of low concentration coal mine methane in divergent porous media burner

Low-concentration methane (LCM) has been one of the biggest difficulties in using coal mine methane. And previous studies found that premixed combustion in porous media is an effective method of low calorific gas utilization. This paper studied the combustion of LCM in a divergent porous medium burner (DPMB) by using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and investigated the effect of gas initial temperature on combustion characteristic, the distribution of temperature and pollutant at different equivalence ratios in detail. Besides, the comparison of divergent and cylindrical burners was also performed in this paper. The results show that: the peak temperature in DPMB increases as the increasing of equivalence ratio, which is also suitable for the outlet NO discharge; the linear correlation is also discovered between peak temperature and equivalence ratios; NO emission at the initial temperature of 525 K is 5.64 times, larger than NO emission at the initial temperature of 300 K. Thus, it is preferable to balance the effect of thermal efficiency and environment simultaneously when determining the optimal initial temperature range. The working parameter limits of divergent burner are wider than that of cylindrical one which contributes to reducing the influence of LCM concentration and volume fluctuation on combustion.     

Preferential adsorption behaviour of CH4 and CO2 on high-rank coal from Qinshui Basin,China

In order to better understand the prevailing mechanism of CO₂ storage in coal and estimate CO₂ sequestration capacity of a coal seam and enhanced coalbed methane recovery (ECBM) with CO₂ injection into coal, we investigated the preferential adsorption of CH₄ and CO₂ on coals. Adsorption of pure CO₂, CH₄ and their binary mixtures on high-rank coals from Qinshui Basin in China were employed to study the preferential adsorption behaviour. Multiple regression equations were presented to predict CH₄ equilibrium concentration from equilibrium pressure and its initial-composition in feed gas. The results show that preferential adsorption of CO₂ on coals over the entire pressure range under competitive sorption conditions was observed, however, preferential adsorption of CH₄ over CO₂ on low-volatile bituminous coal from higher CH₄-compostion in source gas was found at up to 10 MPa pressure. Preferential adsorption of CO₂ increases with increase of CH₄ concentration in source gas, and decreases with increasing pressure. Although there was no systematic investigation of the effect of coal rank on preferential adsorption, there are obvious differences in preferential adsorption of gas between low-volatile bituminous coal and anthracite. The obtained preferential adsorption gives rise to the assumption that CO₂ sequestration in coal beds with subsequent CO₂-ECBM might be an option in Qinshui Basins, China.     

Effect of temperature and stress on molecular structure and carbon monoxide generation of lignite from Kailuan mining area

In order to analyze the origin of carbon monoxide(CO) in coal seams, stress–strain experiments under temperature of 50, 150 and 250 °C were conducted using lignite from Kailuan mining area. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and elemental analysis were carried out before and after deformation of the samples. The results indicated that CO generated at 150 and 250 °C; the gas component was mostly oxygen(O_2), with small amount of carbon dioxide(CO_2), methane(CH_4) and hydrogen(H_2). At 50 °C, O_2 and a little CO_2 were observed and no CO was found. The carbon content of the coal samples increased slightly after deformation, and the oxygen content, H/C ratio, and O/C ratio decreased. The molecular structure of coal displayed different evolution characteristics at various temperatures. At 50 and 150 °C, the falling off of side chains, broken of ether bond and directional realignment of the aliphatic chains resulting in the formation of long chains were the main performance of coal molecular structure evolution. While at 250 °C, the side chains fell off and short chains formed. Furthermore, at both 150 and 250 °C, condensed degree of aromatic ring increased. Under the action of temperature and pressure, CO forms in two ways.The first is that ether bond breaks, oxygen and carbon atoms combine together and forms CO, or O_2 forming in the broken of ether–oxygen bond leads to the oxidation of free radicals and resulting in the formation of CO. And the second is that CO derives from falling off of C=O group.