Self-heating of coal and related materials: Models, application and test methods

Abstract The current understanding of the phenomenon of self-heating of coal and coal mine waste dumps is discussed along with the status of a number of numerical models developed to predict self-heating behaviour. Within this framework the commonly used industrial tests to predict the self-heating propensity of coal are assessed and their limitations identified. Future work requires further elucidation of the role of water on the oxidation rate of coal and other carbonaceous materials, as well as validation of numerical models on commercial size coal stockpiles.