Calculation of Apparent Activation Energy of Coal Oxidation at Low Temperatures by Measuring CO Yield

By analyzing previous studies on activation energy of coal oxidation at low temperatures, a theoretical calculation model of apparent activation energy is established. Yield of CO is measured by using the characteristic detector of coal oxidation at 30-90 ℃. The impact of parameters, such as airflow and particle size, on activation energies is analyzed. Finally, agreement was obtained between activation energies and the dynamic oxygen absorbed in order to test the accuracy of the model. The results show that： 1） a positive exponential relation between concentration of CO and temperature in the process of the experiment is obtained： increases are almost identical and the initial CO is low; 2） the apparent activation energies increase gradually with the sizes of particle at the same airflow, but the gradients increase at a decreasing rate; 3） the apparent activation energies increase linearly with airflow. For the five coal particles, the differences among the energies are relatively high when the airflow was low, but the differences were low when the airflow was high; 4） the optimum sizes of particle, 0.125-0.25 ram, and the optimum volume of airflow, 100 mL/min, are determined from the model; 5） the apparent activation energies decrease with an increase in oxygen absorbed. A negative exponential relation between the two is obtained,