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Experimental investigation of temperature distribution and spontaneous combustion tendency of coal gangue stockpiles in storage

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Abstract

In this study, an experimental model about the coal gangue stockpiles in semi-open storage was developed. According to the model’s requirements, the corresponding coal gangues were piled up in the factory building, the heat source and collection points were arranged, and the four operating temperatures were selected from 70 to 350 °C for heating. A series of fire experiments concerning the temperature distributions of the coal gangue piles were conducted systematically. The spontaneous combustion tendency of coal gangue samples under kinds of the four heat sources was analyzed using scanning electron microscope (SEM), thermal gravity analysis, and differential thermal gravity (TG-DTG). Under the action of thermal damage, the surface of micropores in coal gangue becomes rough. Heat accumulation is, in nature, most likely to occur near 0.1~0.4 m away from the heat source of coal pile. Simultaneously, on each of the measured flat layers, the greater the horizontal distance from the heat source is, the lower the heated temperature of gangues is, and the lower the temperature change rate is, indicating that the horizontal heat conduction is also gradually weakened. The experimental model provides an empirical basis for studying the distribution of temperature field in the depth of gangue pile and kinetics reaction mechanism of spontaneous combustion.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

C p :

Specific heat capacity, J/(kg·K)

t:

Record the instantaneous temperatures of time, h

T0 :

Initial temperature before heating, °C

T1 :

Temperature at a specific moment, °C

Δt :

Difference of time, h

v :

Temperature rise rate, °C/h

TG:

Thermal gravity

DTG:

Differential thermal gravity

SEM:

Scanning electron microscope

ρ :

The density of coal gangue, kg/m3

λ :

Thermal conductivity of coal gangue, W/(m·K)

ad:

Air-dried basis

daf:

Dry ash-free basis

X:

X direction

Y:

Y direction

Z:

Z direction

O:

Origin of a 3D axis

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Funding

The study is financially supported by major science and technology projects of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region under Grant No. RZ190001148 and Grant No. NJZY21480. The authors appreciate the supports deeply.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Disaster Prevention Science and Safety Technology, Central South University, Changsha, 410075, China

    Ang Li, Changkun Chen, Jie Chen, Peng Lei & Yulun Zhang

  2. College of Forestry, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, 010019, China

    Ang Li

Authors
  1. Ang Li
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  2. Changkun Chen
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  3. Jie Chen
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  4. Peng Lei
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  5. Yulun Zhang
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Contributions

Ang Li: Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Writing—original draft. Changkun Chen: Writing—review and editing; Supervision. Jie Chen: Writing—review and editing; Project administration. Peng Lei: Writing—review and editing. Yulun Zhang: Writing—review and editing.

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Correspondence to Changkun Chen.

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Li, A., Chen, C., Chen, J. et al. Experimental investigation of temperature distribution and spontaneous combustion tendency of coal gangue stockpiles in storage. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 34489–34500 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12964-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-12964-0

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