Coalfield structure and structural controls on coal in China

The occurrence of coal-bearing strata in a variety of coal-bearing basins of China is characterized by late tectonic deformation and remarkable spatial and geochronologic differences.The main controlling factors,which determine the tectonic framework of coalfields,include the geodynamic environment,tectonic evolution,deep structures,tectonic stress,and lithologic combination of the coal measures.The Chinese continent has experienced multi-stage tectonic movements since the Late Paleozoic.The spatial and temporal heterogeneity of its continental tectonic evolution,the complexity of its basement properties,and its stratigraphic configurations control the tectonic framework of its coalfields’present complex and orderly patterns.The concept of coal occurrence structural units is proposed in this paper and is defined as the structural zoning of coal occurrence.China’s coalfields are divided into five coal occurrence structural areas,and the structural characteristics of the coalfields in five main coal occurrence areas throughout the country are summarized.Based on the analysis of the relationship between the structure characteristics and occurrence of coal in these coalfields,the coal-controlling structures are divided into six groups:extensional structural styles,compressional structural styles,shearing and rotational structural styles,inverted structural styles,sliding structural styles,and syn-depositional structural styles.In addition,the distribution of coal-controlling structural styles is briefly summarized in this paper.

Effect of demineralization on pyrolysis characteristics of LPS coal based on its chemical structure

The critical issue in developing mature Oxy-Coal Combustion Steam System technology could be the reactivity of deminer-alized coal which,is closely related to its chemical structure.The chemical structures of Liupanshui raw coal(LPS-R)and Liupanshui demineralized coal(LPS-D)were analyzed by FTIR and solid-state 13C-NMR.The pyrolysis experiments were carried out by TG,and the pyrolysis kinetics was analyzed by three iso-conversional methods.FTIR and 13C-NMR results suggested that the carbon structure of LPS coal was not altered greatly,while demineralization promoted the maturity of coal and the condensation degree of the aromatic ring,making the chemical structure of coal more stable.The oxygen-containing functional groups with low bond energy were reduced,and the ratio of aromatic carbon with high bond energy was increased,decreasing the pyrolysis reactivity.DTG curve-fitting results revealed that the thermal weight loss of LPS coal mainly came from the cleavage of aliphatic covalent bonds.By pyrolysis kinetics analysis of LPS-R and LPS-D,the apparent activation energies were 76±4 to 463±5 kJ/mol and 84±2 to 758±12 kJ/mol,respectively,under different conversion rates.The reactivity of the demineralized coal was inhibited to some extent,as the apparent activation energy of pyrolysis for LPS-D increased by acid treatment.

One-piece coal mine mobile refuge chamber with safety structure and less sealing risk based on FEA

In order to reduce the risk of sealing and improve the structural strength for a coal mine mobile refuge chamber,a new type of one-piece model was designed.Mechanical and mathematical calculation performed an important role.Calculated according to statics and relevant contents,the structure had the same total volume as the traditional segmented structure,but had shorter length,wider width and greater height.Those prevented the structure from stress or deformation failure.Some reinforcing ribs with enough moments of inertia were welded in the external shell.Because of the one-piece structure,this refuge chamber reduced the risk of sealing which was a serious problem of segmented structure.Impact load with 300 ms duration and0.6 MPa over-pressure was settled.Explicit nonlinear dynamic analysis program was used to simulate the response of the refuge chamber.The maximum stress and the maximum displacement were obtained.The refuge chamber including blast airtight doors could meet the rigidity requirement.Weak parts of the chamber were the front and back end shell where bigger displacement values occurred than others.Thus,the calculation indicated that the refuge chamber could meet structural safety requirements.Based on the numerical analysis,suggestions were put forward for further resistance ability improvement.Only large inclined shaft with larger wellhead was suitable for this one-piece coal mine mobile refuge chamber.

Effects of coal molecular structure and pore morphology on methane adsorption and accumulation mechanism

The adsorption,diffusion,and aggregation of methane from coal are often studied based on slit or carbon nanotube models and isothermal adsorption and thermodynamics theories.However,the pore morphology of the slit model involves a single slit,and the carbon nanotube model does not consider the molecular structure of coal.The difference of the adsorption capacity of coal to methane was determined without considering the external environmental conditions by the molecular structure and pore morphology of coal.The study of methane adsorption by coal under single condition cannot reveal its mechanism.In view of this,elemental analysis,FTIR spectrum,XPS electron energy spectrum,13C NMR,and isothermal adsorption tests were conducted on the semi-anthracite of Changping mine and the anthracite of Sihe Mine in Shanxi Province,China.The grand canonical Monte Carlo(GCMC)and molecular dynamics simulation method was used to establish the coal molecular structure model.By comparing the results with the experimental test results,the accuracy and practicability of the molecular structure model are confirmed.Based on the adsorption potential energy theory and aggregation model,the adsorption force of methane on aromatic ring structure,pyrrole nitrogen structure,aliphatic structure,and oxygen-containing functional group was calculated.The relationship between pore morphology,methane aggregation morphology,and coal molecular structure was revealed.The results show that the adsorption force of coal molecular structure on methane is as follows:aromatic ring structure(1.96 kcal/mol)>pyridine nitrogen(1.41 kcal/mol)>pyrrorole nitrogen(1.05 kcal/mol)>aliphatic structure(0.29 kcal/mol)>oxygen-containing functional group(0.20 kcal/mol).In the long and narrow regular pores of semi-anthracite and anthracite,methane aggregates in clusters at turns and aperture changes,and the adsorption and aggregation positions are mainly determined by the aromatic ring structure,the positions of pyrrole nitrogen and pyridine nitrogen.The degree of aggregation is controlled by the interaction energy and pore morphology.The results pertaining to coal molecular structure and pore morphology on methane adsorption and aggregation location and degree are conducive to the evaluation of the adsorption mechanism of methane in coal.

Experimental Study on Product Characteristics of Typical Pulverized Coal Preheated by a Self-Preheating Burner

As the major primary energy source in China,coal has been proved to be capable to improve its physical and chemical characteristics by the pretreatment of the self-preheating burner.In this study,the effects of altering operating conditions including preheating temperature(T_(p))and primary air equivalence ratio(λ_(p))on preheating characteristics of three typical pulverized coal were investigated on a bench-scale test rig.The high-temperature coal gas compositions along the axis of the riser and at the outlet of the self-preheating burner were measured,and the coal char and coal tar produced in the preheating process were collected and analyzed separately.The results indicated that with the significant release of volatile and the occurrence of chemical reactions,cracks and micropores emerged on the surface of the particles,making the pore structure on the surface more developed,and T_(p)had the most significant effect on the structure of coal particles.Additionally,there were evident differences in the corresponding operating conditions when the preheating characteristics of the three typical coal reached optimally.And preheating had the strongest influence on the degree of anthracite modification.With respect to coal tar,the increase of T_(p)andλ_(p)further promoted its secondary cracking and oxidation,resulting in a decrease in production yield.In this study,for bituminous coal and lignite,a large amount of coal tar were produced during preheating and the highest production yields could reach 5.74%and 6.15%,respectively.While for anthracite,the production yield was intensely low due to its own coal properties,all below 1.02%.

Characterization of char from high temperature fluidized bed coal pyrolysis in complex atmospheres

The physiochemical properties of chars produced by coal pyrolysis in a laboratory-scale fluidized bed reactor with a continuous coal feed and char discharge at temperatures of 750 to 980 ~ C under N2-based atmospheres containing 02, H2, CO, CH4, and CO2 were studied. The specific surface area of the char was found to decrease with increasing pyrolysis temperature. The interlayer spacing of the char also decreased, while the average stacking height and carbon crystal size increased at higher temperatures, suggesting that the char generated at high temperatures had a highly ordered structure. The char obtained using an ER value of 0.064 exhibited the highest specific surface area and oxidation reactivity. Rela- tively high 02 concentrations degraded the pore structure of the char, decreasing the surface area. The char produced in an atmosphere incorporating H2 showed a more condensed crystalline structure and consequently had lower oxidation reactivity.

Geophysical characteristics of anthracites with various structures: a case study on the southern Qinshui Basin, north China

Deformation of coals under tectonic movements could cause reduction of mechanical strength and enhancement of gas adsorption,which might result in coal and gas outburst,and cause safety and environmental issues.In this study,geophysical characteristics of coals with various structures were investigated with a special emphasis on characterization of pore size distribution,rock mechanical strength,acoustic emission,resistivity and acoustic velocity of anthracites with three types of structures in the Qinshui Basin,north China.The studied No.3 coal seam developed three types of structures,namely undeformed coal,cataclastic coal,and granular coal.Petrographic observations under scanning electron microscope and pore size distribution using N2 and CO_(2) adsorption of anthracites of three types show that the undeformed coal consists of primary micropores,and cataclastic coal is mainly composed of mesopores and well-connected fractures.In comparison,granular coal has the least mesopores.Rock mechanical strength,acoustic emission,resistivity and acoustic velocity of coals with three structure types were investigated under uniaxial and triaxial compression.With increasing degree of deformation of anthracites,compression strength,Young’s modulus,density,acoustic emission counting and acoustic velocity decreases,while resistivity increases.We suggest that the evolution of pore size distribution of anthracites with increasing degree of deformation contributed to variations of geophysical characteristics of coals with different structures to some extent.