Study of coal oxidation behaviour in re-opened sealed heating

Abstract Possible changes in the oxidation behaviour of coal in the spontaneous combustion site of re-opened sealed heating were studied. Two samples of bituminous coal and three types of coal pre-treatment procedures were applied to simulate in situ conditions at the “spon-com” site: i) pre-oxidation of coal, ii) pre-heating of coal under inert gas, and iii) immersion of pre-heated coal in liquid water. Pre-treated samples were then examined for the production rate of the indication gases evolved during oxidation and for oxidation heat effects. Two main conclusions were drawn with respect to oxidation of the coal in re-opened sealed heating: i) carbon monoxide and unsaturated hydrocarbons maintain their relevance as spontaneous combustion indication gases, however, increased production of both carbon oxides can be expected; ii) coal in the extinguished spontaneous combustion site gains increased susceptibility to the self-heating process.