Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Thermal Kinetics of Coal Spontaneous Combustion Based on Multiphase Fully Coupled Fluid–Mechanical Porous Media Model

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Natural Resources Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) is a complex physical and chemical process. Numerical simulation is an efficient method for visualizing and quantifying CSC. However, in previous models, the property parameters of coal are frequently assumed to be constant and hence cannot be used to predict accurately the thermodynamic behaviors during CSC. In this study, a fully coupled porous media model considering water migration, heat transfer, and thermal deformation was developed to investigate the thermal kinetics of CSC. The porosity and thermal strain during CSC in the model were consistent with the experimental results. Moreover, a method based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was used to calculate the residual saturation of fluids in porous media during heat treatment. The results showed that porosity increased with temperature during CSC, and the NMR transverse relaxation cutoff values of coal depended nonlinearly on temperature. In the initial stage of CSC, moisture was the dominant factor affecting CSC. As time progresses, moisture and temperature exhibited a synergistic effect. Temperature was the leading factor contributing to CSC in the final stage. The temperature increase during CSC exhibited a ‘slow and then fast’ trend. In addition, the deformation of coal during CSC caused thermal shrinkage, and its magnitude depended on the temperature increase rate. The results can be used to identify the thermodynamic behaviors during CSC and contribute to a better understanding of the mechanism of CSC.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Cai, Y., Liu, D., Pan, Z., Yao, Y., Li, J., & Qiu, Y. (2013). Petrophysical characterization of Chinese coal cores with heat treatment by nuclear magnetic resonance. Fuel, 108, 292–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, G., Ma, X., Lin, M., Lin, Y., & Yu, Z. (2015). Study on thermochemical kinetic characteristics and interaction during low temperature oxidation of blended coals. Journal of the Energy Institute, 88(3), 221–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Datta, A. K. (2007a). Porous media approaches to studying simultaneous heat and mass transfer in food processes. I: Problem formulations. Journal of Food Engineering, 80(1), 80–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Datta, A. K. (2007b). Porous media approaches to studying simultaneous heat and mass transfer in food processes. II: Property data and representative results. Journal of Food Engineering, 80(1), 96–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Demirbas, A. (2004). Combustion characteristics of different biomass fuels. Progress in Energy and Combustion Science, 30(2), 219–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dupaix, R. B., & Boyce, M. C. (2007). Constitutive modeling of the finite strain behavior of amorphous polymers in and above the glass transition. Mechanics of Materials, 39(1), 39–52.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Suuberg, E. M., Otake, Y., Yun, Y., & Deevi, S. C. (1993). Role of moisture in coal structure and the effects of drying upon the accessibility of coal structure. Energy & Fuels, 7(3), 384–392.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Evans, D. G. (1973). The brown-coal/water system: Part 4 Shrinkage on drying. Fuel, 52, 186–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, B. A., Chen, M. Q., & Song, J. J. (2017a). Investigation on the microwave drying kinetics and pumping phenomenon of lignite spheres. Applied Thermal Engineering, 124, 371–380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, H., Tang, D., Xu, T., Xu, H., Tao, S., Li, S., Yin, Z., Chen, B., Zhang, C., & Wang, L. (2017b). Characteristics of pore structure and fractal dimension of low-rank coal: A case study of Lower Jurassic Xishanyao coal in the southern Junggar Basin, NW China. Fuel, 193, 254–264.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bongers, G. D., Jackson, W. R., & Woskoboenko, F. (2000). Pressurised steam drying of Australian low-rank coals Part 2. Shrinkage and physical properties of steam dried coals, preparation of dried coals with very high porosity. Fuel Processing Technology, 64, 13–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gulati, T., & Datta, A. K. (2016). Coupled multiphase transport, large deformation and phase transition during rice puffing. Chemical Engineering Science, 139, 75–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., Tang, H., Wu, Y., Wang, K., & Xu, C. (2021a). Gas seepage in underground coal seams: Application of the equivalent scale of coal matrix-fracture structures in coal permeability measurements. Fuel, 288, 119641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., Wang, K., Wu, Y., Tang, H., Wu, J., Guan, L., Chang, C., & Xu, C. (2021b). Evaluation of the weakening behavior of gas on the coal strength and its quantitative influence on the coal deformation. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 31(3), 451–462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., Yuan, L., Cheng, Y., Wang, K., & Xu, C. (2019). Experimental investigation on coal pore and fracture characteristics based on fractal theory. Powder Technology, 346, 341–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, H., Yuan, L., Cheng, Y., Wang, K., Xu, C., Zhou, A., Zang, J., & Liu, J. (2018). Effect of moisture on the desorption and unsteady-state diffusion properties of gas in low-rank coal. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 57, 45–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halder, A., & Datta, A. K. (2012). Surface heat and mass transfer coefficients for multiphase porous media transport models with rapid evaporation. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 90(3), 475–490.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joardder, M. U. H., Kumar, C., & Karim, M. A. (2017). Multiphase transfer model for intermittent microwave-convective drying of food: Considering shrinkage and pore evolution. International Journal of Multiphase Flow, 95, 101–119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karthikeyan, M., Kuma, J. V. M., Hoe, C. S., & Ngo, D. L. Y. (2007). Factors affecting quality of dried low-rank coals. Drying Technology, 25(10), 1601–1611.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kohout, M., Collier, A. P., & Štěpánek, F. (2004). Effective thermal conductivity of wet particle assemblies. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 47(25), 5565–5574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Konwar, K., Nath, H. P., Bhuyan, N., Saikia, B. K., Borah, R. C., Kalita, A. C., & Saikia, N. (2019). Effect of biomass addition on the devolatilization kinetics, mechanisms and thermodynamics of a northeast Indian low rank sub-bituminous coal. Fuel, 256, 115926.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, C., Joardder, M. U. H., Farrell, T. W., & Karim, M. A. (2016). Multiphase porous media model for intermittent microwave convective drying (IMCD) of food. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 104, 304–314.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kumar, C., Millar, G. J., & Karim, M. A. (2014). Effective diffusivity and evaporative cooling in convective drying of food material. Drying Technology, 33(2), 227–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Lin, B., Chen, Z., Hong, Y., & Zheng, C. (2017). Evolution of coal petrophysical properties under microwave irradiation stimulation for different water saturation conditions. Energy & Fuels, 31(9), 8852–8864.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Shi, S., Lin, B., Lu, J., Lu, Y., Ye, Q., Wang, Z., Hong, Y., & Zhu, X. (2019a). A fully coupled electromagnetic, heat transfer and multiphase porous media model for microwave heating of coal. Fuel Processing Technology, 189, 49–61.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Zheng, C., Lu, J., Tian, L., Lu, Y., Ye, Q., Luo, W., & Zhu, X. (2019b). Drying kinetics of coal under microwave irradiation based on a coupled electromagnetic, heat transfer and multiphase porous media model. Fuel, 256, 115966.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Q.-W., Xiao, Y., Wang, C.-P., Deng, J., & Shu, C.-M. (2019c). Thermokinetic characteristics of coal spontaneous combustion based on thermogravimetric analysis. Fuel, 250, 235–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, S., Tang, D., Xu, H., Yang, Z., & Guo, L. (2012). Porosity and permeability models for coals using low-field nuclear magnetic resonance. Energy & Fuels, 26(8), 5005–5014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Shi, X., Zhang, Y., Xue, J., Chen, X., Zhang, Y., & Ma, T. (2021). Numerical investigation on the gas and temperature evolutions during the spontaneous combustion of coal in a large-scale furnace. Fuel, 287, 119557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J., Jia, G., Gao, J., Hu, J., & Chen, S. (2020). NMR study on pore structure and permeability of different layers of deep low-rank coal. Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization, and Environmental Effects, 1–11.

  • Liu, L., Yang, M., Zhang, X., Mao, J., & Chai, P. (2021). LNMR experimental study on the influence of gas pressure on methane adsorption law of middle-rank coal. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 91, 103949.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lucht, L. M., Larson, J. M., & Peppas, N. A. (1987). Macromolecular structure of coals. 9. Molecular structure and glass transition temperature. Energy & Fuels, 1(1), 56–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mahadevan, J., Sharma, M. M., & Yortsos, Y. C. (2006). Flow-through drying of porous media. AIChE Journal, 52(7), 2367–2380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murru, M., Giorgio, G., Montomoli, S., Ricard, F., & Stepanek, F. (2011). Model-based scale-up of vacuum contact drying of pharmaceutical compounds. Chemical Engineering Science, 66(21), 5045–5054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nie, B., Liu, X., Yang, L., Meng, J., & Li, X. (2015). Pore structure characterization of different rank coals using gas adsorption and scanning electron microscopy. Fuel, 158, 908–917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nyashina, G. S., Kurgankina, M. A., & Strizhak, P. A. (2018). Environmental, economic and energetic benefits of using coal and oil processing waste instead of coal to produce the same amount of energy. Energy Conversion and Management, 174, 175–187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rakesh, V., & Datta, A. K. (2011). Microwave puffing: Determination of optimal conditions using a coupled multiphase porous media—Large deformation model. Journal of Food Engineering, 107(2), 152–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramazanova, A. E., Abdulagatov, I. M., & Ranjith, P. G. (2018). Temperature effect on the thermal conductivity of black coal. Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data, 63(5), 1534–1545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rong, L., Xiao, J., Wang, X., Sun, J., Jia, F., & Chu, M. (2020). Low-rank coal drying Behaviors under negative pressure: Thermal fragmentation, volume shrinkage and changes in pore structure. Journal of Cleaner Production, 272, 122572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salmas, C. E., Tsetsekou, A. H., Hatzilyberis, K. S., & Androutsopoulos, G. P. (2001). Evolution lignite mesopore structure during drying. Effect of temperature and heating time. Drying Technology, 19(1), 35–64.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sang, G., Liu, S., Zhang, R., Elsworth, D., & He, L. (2018). Nanopore characterization of mine roof shales by SANS, nitrogen adsorption, and mercury intrusion: Impact on water adsorption/retention behavior. International Journal of Coal Geology, 200, 173–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, X., Zhang, Y., Chen, X., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Effects of thermal boundary conditions on spontaneous combustion of coal under temperature-programmed conditions. Fuel, 295, 120591.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smallwood, I. M. (2006). Handbook of organic solvent properties. Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Song, J.-J., Deng, J., Zhao, J.-Y., Zhang, Y.-N., & Shu, C.-M. (2021). Comparative analysis of exothermic behaviour of fresh and weathered coal during low-temperature oxidation. Fuel, 289, 119942.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava, V., Chester, S. A., Ames, N. M., & Anand, L. (2010). A thermo-mechanically coupled large-deformation theory for amorphous polymers in a temperature range which spans their glass transition. International Journal of Plasticity, 26, 1138–1182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stracher, G. B., & Taylor, T. P. (2004). Coal fires burning out of control around the world: Thermodynamic recipe for environmental catastrophe. International Journal of Coal Geology, 59(1–2), 7–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Su, C., Qiu, J., Wu, Q., & Weng, L. (2020). Effects of high temperature on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of hard coal. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 30(5), 643–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang, Z., Yang, S., & Wu, G. (2017). Occurrence mechanism and risk assessment of dynamic of coal and rock disasters in the low-temperature oxidation process of a coal-bed methane reservoir. Energy & Fuels, 31(4), 3602–3609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C.-P., Bai, Z.-J., Xiao, Y., Deng, J., & Shu, C.-M. (2020a). Effects of FeS2 on the process of coal spontaneous combustion at low temperatures. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 142, 165–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, G., Qin, X., Han, D., & Liu, Z. (2021a). Study on seepage and deformation characteristics of coal microstructure by 3D reconstruction of CT images at high temperatures. International Journal of Mining Science and Technology, 31(2), 175–185.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., Tian, Y., Chen, X., & Li, J. (2020b). Kinetic and synergetic effect analysis of the Co-combustion of coal blended with polyurethane materials. ACS Omega, 5(40), 26005–26014.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., Tian, Y., Li, J., & Chen, X. (2021b). Experimental study on thermal effect and gas release laws of coal-polyurethane cooperative spontaneous combustion. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 1994.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, K., Han, T., Deng, J., & Zhang, Y. (2022). Comparison of combustion characteristics and kinetics of Jurassic and Carboniferous-Permian coals in China. Energy, 254, 124315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, Y., Schaffers, W. C., Tan, S., Kim, J. S., Boardman, R. D., & Bell, D. A. (2020c). Low temperature heating and oxidation to prevent spontaneous combustion using Powder River Basin coal. Fuel Processing Technology, 199, 106221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Westphal, H., Surholt, I., Kiesl, C., Thern, H. F., & Kruspe, T. (2005). NMR Measurements in carbonate rocks: Problems and an approach to a solution. Pure and Applied Geophysics PAGEOPH, 162(3), 549–570.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xin, F., Xu, H., Tang, D., Chen, Y., Cao, L., & Yuan, Y. (2020). Experimental study on the change of reservoir characteristics of different lithotypes of lignite after dehydration and improvement of seepage capacity. Fuel, 277, 118196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Q., Yang, S., Yang, W., Tang, Z., Hu, X., Song, W., & Zhou, B. (2020). Micro-structure of crushed coal with different metamorphic degrees and its low-temperature oxidation. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 140, 330–338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xue, D. J., Liu, Y. T., Zhou, J., & Sun, X. T. (2020). Visualization of helium-water flow in tight coal by the low-field NMR imaging: An experimental observation. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 188, 106862.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xue, D. J., Zhou, H. W., Liu, Y. T., Deng, L. S., & Zhang, L. (2018). Study of drainage and percolation of nitrogen-water flooding in tight coal by NMR imaging. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, 51(11), 3421–3437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao, H., He, B., Ding, G., Tong, W., & Kuang, Y. (2019). Thermogravimetric analyses of oxy-fuel co-combustion of semi-coke and bituminous coal. Applied Thermal Engineering, 156, 708–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao, Y., Liu, D., Che, Y., Tang, D., Tang, S., & Huang, W. (2010). Petrophysical characterization of coals by low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Fuel, 89(7), 1371–1380.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, J., Tahmasebi, A., Han, Y., Yin, F., & Li, X. (2013). A review on water in low rank coals: The existence, interaction with coal structure and effects on coal utilization. Fuel Processing Technology, 106, 9–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuan, Y., Rezaee, R., Verrall, M., Hu, S.-Y., Zou, J., & Testmanti, N. (2018). Pore characterization and clay bound water assessment in shale with a combination of NMR and low-pressure nitrogen gas adsorption. International Journal of Coal Geology, 194, 11–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, X., Lin, B., Li, Y., Zhu, C., & Li, Q. (2020). Analysis of fractal dimension of coal subjected to electrical breakdown based on nuclear magnetic resonance. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 79, 103345.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, J.-Y., Zhang, Y.-L., Song, J.-J., Zhang, T.-H., Ming, H.-Q., Lu, S.-P., Deng, J., & Shu, C.-M. (2022). Microstructure of coal spontaneous combustion in low-oxygen atmospheres at characteristic temperatures. Fuel, 309, 122132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, J., Deng, J., Chen, L., Wang, T., Song, J., Zhang, Y., Shu, C. M., & Zeng, Q. (2019a). Correlation analysis of the functional groups and exothermic characteristics of bituminous coal molecules during high-temperature oxidation. Energy, 181, 136–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, J., Deng, J., Wang, T., Song, J., Zhang, Y., Shu, C.-M., & Zeng, Q. (2019b). Assessing the effectiveness of a high-temperature-programmed experimental system for simulating the spontaneous combustion properties of bituminous coal through thermokinetic analysis of four oxidation stages. Energy, 169, 587–596.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, Y., Lin, B., Liu, T., Zheng, Y., Sun, Y., Zhang, G., & Li, Q. (2021). Multifractal analysis of coal pore structure based on NMR experiment: A new method for predicting T2 cutoff value. Fuel, 283, 119338.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu, H., Huo, Y., Wang, W., He, X., Fang, S., & Zhang, Y. (2021). Quantum chemical calculation of reaction characteristics of hydroxyl at different positions during coal spontaneous combustion. Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 148, 624–635.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (51874313) and the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFC0808101).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Emergency Management and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, 100083, People’s Republic of China

    Haiyan Wang, Jinglei Li, Cheng Fan, Lei Wang & Xiao Chen

Authors
  1. Haiyan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jinglei Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Cheng Fan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lei Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xiao Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinglei Li.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

All the authors do not have any possible conflicts of interest. We certify that we have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the appropriateness of the experimental design and method, and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data. We declare that we do not have any commercial or associative interest that represents a conflict of interest in connection with the work submitted.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wang, H., Li, J., Fan, C. et al. Thermal Kinetics of Coal Spontaneous Combustion Based on Multiphase Fully Coupled Fluid–Mechanical Porous Media Model. Nat Resour Res 31, 2819–2837 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-022-10101-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-022-10101-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation