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Evolution of Broken Coal Permeability Under the Condition of Stress, Temperature, Moisture Content, and Pore Pressure

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Abstract

The permeability of broken coal is not only mainly controlled by coal structure, but also unavoidably influenced by variations of stress, particle size, moisture content, and temperature. In this paper, a self-designed experimental device was utilized to investigate the permeability evolution of seven coal samples with different particle size ratios during the loading processes under the condition of temperature, water content, and pore pressure. The results show that both the permeability and the porosity are negative exponential functions of axial stress. Under the same stress, the porosity and the permeability decrease with the increase of the particle size and the particle size range of the coal samples; in the process of compaction, the larger the particle size and the particle size range of the coal samples, the higher the change rate of the porosity and the permeability. Under the same stress, any increase of temperature, water content, or pore pressure would cause the decrease of the permeability of the coal samples, i.e., they are negatively correlated. With the establishment of the permeability calculation model of the coal samples under different temperatures, water contents, and pore pressures during the loading processes, the permeability of different locations in different environments can be speculated. Based on the estimated data, the air leakage in different areas can be obtained to determine the spontaneous combustion zone in goaf, which is crucial for fire prevention and control in goaf.

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Abbreviations

Re :

Reynolds number

ρ :

The density of fluid

v :

The velocity of fluid

μ :

The dynamic viscosity coefficient of nitrogen

d :

The equivalent diameter of pipeline

K 0 :

The initializing permeability of the coal sample

Q :

The gas flow rate

P 0 :

The atmospheric pressure

P 1 :

The pressure of the inlet

P 2 :

The pressure of the outlet

L :

The length of the coal sample

A :

The cross-section area of the coal sample chamber

K i :

The permeability under the stress of the coal sample

a :

A coefficient that depends on the fracture morphology of coal

σ :

The stress

n :

The porosity

V 0 :

The apparent volume of porous media

V i :

The absolute density of porous media

ω :

The additional moisture increment of the coal sample

M :

The total weight of the coal samples after soaking

m :

The weight of the coal samples before soaking

ΔK T :

The temperature change causes the change in the permeability

ΔT :

The amount of change in temperature

C :

A fitting coefficient, C < 0

ΔKω :

The water content change causes the change in the permeability

Δω :

The change in water content

D :

A fitting coefficient, D < 0

ΔK ϑ :

The pore pressure change causes the change in the permeability

Δϑ :

The pore pressure variable quantity

E :

A fitting coefficient, E < 0

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51774114, 51574111, U1361205).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Gas Geology and Control-Cultivation Base, Henan Polytechnic University, Jiaozuo, 454003, Henan, China

    Jiangkun Chao, Minggao Yu, Xuefeng Han, Fei Teng & Pin Li

  2. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, 174 Shazhengjie, Shapingba, Chongqing, 400030, China

    Minggao Yu

  3. School of Safety Engineering, North China Institute of Science and Technology, Yanjiao, 101601, China

    Tingxiang Chu

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  1. Jiangkun Chao
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  2. Minggao Yu
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Correspondence to Minggao Yu.

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Chao, J., Yu, M., Chu, T. et al. Evolution of Broken Coal Permeability Under the Condition of Stress, Temperature, Moisture Content, and Pore Pressure. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52, 2803–2814 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-019-01873-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-019-01873-x

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