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To improve the accuracy of early warning on coal spontaneous combustion (CSC), this paper, on the basis of the principle of preferential selection of index gases in CSC process, carries out fitting analysis of the variation curve of index gas data with coal temperature by combining logistic fitting model, then establishes a CSC graded warning system based on positive pressure beam tube monitoring, and determines CO, O2, φ(CO)/φ(O2), C2H4, C2H6, φ(C2H4)/φ(C2H6) as the index gases for predicting and forecasting CSC, and accurately divides the CSC process into seven levels of early warning: safe, gray, blue, yellow, orange, red, and black. Applying the CSC positive pressure beam tube monitoring system to Dongtan coal mine and analyzing the error by manual sampling and sampling by positive pressure beam tube system, we find that the error is less than 0.1%. Monitoring of several working faces, we get that the CO and CH4 concentrations of 14,320 working face are higher than the normal level at the beginning of mining, and the 100 × CO/ΔO2 value is higher than the gray warning threshold of 0.1, and the warning level is gray warning. After taking timely preventive measures against coal oxidation and warming, the CO and CH4 concentrations return to the normal level and the warning level drops to the safe level. This paper improves the monitoring, identifying and early warning capabilities of underground CSC in its early stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the molecular structure characteristics of coal at the molecular level is of great significance to realize the rational utilization and efficient conversion of coal. This paper gives insights into the acquisition of characterization parameters of coal molecular microstructure by testing and analyzing the long flame coal from Qinggangping (QGP) Coal Mine through proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, vitrinite reflectance determination, fourier transform infrared Spectroscopy test (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron epectroscopy test (XPS), carbon nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that benzene rings in the QGP coal are mainly connected in a disubstituted way, accounting for 36.48%. Oxygen atoms mainly exist in the oxygen-containing functional groups such as the ether C–O, C=O and –COO. Aliphatic hydrocarbons in the aliphatic group are mainly of symmetrical -CHx stretching vibration. Hydroxyl groups are mainly composed of OH–OH and OH–O hydrogen bonds, accounting for 29.21% and 21.53%, respectively. Nitrogen atoms exist in the form of C4H5N. The coal molecular is mainly of aromatic carbon structure, where the ratio of bridge aromatic carbon to peripheral carbon is 0.198. There are benzene, naphthalene and anthracene in the coal molecular structure, and the former two chemicals play a dominating role. According to the analysis results, the molecular formula of the QGP coal is finally determined as C205H181O29N3S. On this basis, the two-dimensional and three-dimensional macromolecular models are constructed with the assistance of simulation software. In addition, the 13C-NMR spectra and densities of the constructed molecular models are calculated, which verifies the rationality of the models. The macromolecular structure model of bituminous coal constructed in this study provides a theoretical model basis for the optimal surfactant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-temperature coal oxidation generates a substantial amount of CO and CO2, especially CO, rapidly, which is a primary factor leading to casualties. The oxygen concentration is the predominant factor affecting the high-temperature oxidation of coal, particularly in the generation of CO and CO2. Understanding the generation patterns and relationship characteristics of CO and CO2 under various oxygen concentrations is important for predicting high-temperature coal oxidation and ensuring personnel safety. The paper used TG–MS and FTIR to study the formation characteristics of isothermal oxidation of CO and CO2 in long-flame coal under different oxygen concentrations. The results indicate that there exists an optimal threshold for CO production when the oxygen concentration is about 9% during the isothermal temperature oxidation process at 200.00–350.00 °C. When the oxygen concentration is less than 13%, the influence of oxygen on CO2 production is weakened. As the temperature increases, the pattern of CO + CO2 production and CO/CO2 is reversed, with CO + CO2 increasing and CO/CO2 decreasing. The relationship between the total production of CO and CO2 and the loss of coal mass follows the function y = a + bx at the isothermal temperatures of 300.00 °C and 350.00 °C. An increase in oxygen concentration does not alter the linear relationship. In the isothermal oxidation process of coal, carbonyl and carboxyl groups are the key groups for CO and CO2 production. At 200.00 °C and 250.00 °C, carbonyl and carboxyl groups increase, and other groups are being converted to carbonyl and carboxyl groups while decomposing into CO and CO2. At 300.00 °C and 350.00 °C, the relative content of carboxyl groups decreases. The research findings play a fundamental role in coal mine disaster prevention and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion is a common problem faced by many coal mines. Spontaneous combustion in goaf releases a large amount of harmful gases, polluting the environment while causing a large amount of wasted resources, and even endangering the lives of workers. Due to the collapse of the interior of the mining area, it is impossible to measure the internal gas composition directly. In order to more accurately predict the spontaneous combustion state inside the mining airspace, this paper obtains the CO generation law and the main source of the working face through the combination of laboratory experiments and on-site monitoring. The CO concentration prediction model of the return corner is established with CO as the index gas. Finally, the safe concentration and warning concentration of the working face are calculated according to the example, which provides theoretical basis for the prediction of spontaneous combustion of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residual coal in mine goafs will be oxidized in the presence of air leakage, which can be well tracked through the radical reaction. This study aimed to explore the changes in radical parameters and the reactivity and persistence of newly produced radicals of coal at different temperature stages. To this end, an in situ electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrometer was adopted to measure changes in radical parameters at the heating, maintaining and cooling stages in real time. The following conclusions were drawn. At the heating stage, the radical concentration first rises slowly and then surges; the g factor remains small initially and increases rapidly later; the linewidth falls continuously. At the maintaining stage (230 °C), the radical concentration keeps increasing, while the g factor and the linewidth remain stable. At the cooling stage, the radical concentration first decreases and then stabilizes at a relatively high level, and both the g factor and the linewidth nearly return to the initial values. Based on the changes in radical parameters at different oxidation stages, the radicals in coal are divided into transient radicals and persistent radicals according to their survival times. Transient radicals, which are strongly reactive, are quickly consumed, while persistent radicals, which is of weak reactivity, can exist in the system for a long time. That is, the active radicals in coal are transient, while the stable ones are persistent. In addition, this paper gives insight into the changes in contents of active radicals and stable radicals at these stages. Finally, the changes in indicator gas and oxygen concentrations at these stages were analyzed. The research finding further explains the mechanism of radical reactions during coal spontaneous combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous coal combustion is a serious hazard that affects mining safety. Since the coal seams are thin and their resistivity dramatically changes during spontaneous combustion, locating the burned cavities or caving zones using electromagnetic (EM) methods is challenging. The conventional transient electromagnetic (TEM) method with a loop transmitter is ineffective, as the main targets are mostly horizontal and resistive. We propose in this paper to apply TEM with an electrical source to detect the resistive targets of spontaneous coal combustion. Considering that its areas generally have very complex geometry, we adopt the unstructured finite-element method for accurate EM forward modeling. For the time discretization, we choose the unconditionally stable backward Euler scheme. Numerical experiments for typical spontaneous combustion models show the high sensitivity of TEM for an electrical source to the burned cavities, and based on this we further use the limited-memory BFGS method to do 3D inversions. To obtain high-resolution imaging results, we bound the resistivity based on the measurements to the coal mine. The inversion results show that the 3D TEM inversions can effectively recover the locations and resistivities of the burned cavities, implying TEM is a valid tool for detecting spontaneous coal combustion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For further understanding the coal spontaneous combustion in goaf, the dynamic evolution of the oxygen concentration field influenced by the condition of negative pressure of cross-cut were analyzed. Based on the on-site testing results, the range of the oxidation zone on the headentry and tailentry side is determined as 30 ~ 75 m and 15 ~ 65 m respectively. This paper adopts a new method called "fixed grid, dynamic attribute" to dynamically describe the spatial change of goaf caused by working face advancing. The validated model which developed by field measured data is used to study the dynamic evolution of negative pressure impact of cross-cut on oxygen concentration field in goaf. The results demonstrate that when the cross-cut is located at different positions of three zones of coal spontaneous combustion, the negative pressure of the cross-cut has different impact rules on the distribution of oxygen concentration field. The results are hopeful for providing effective guidance for coal mine fire prevention in goaf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The productivity of coal mines is seriously threatened by the combined disasters of gas and coal spontaneous combustion, which have become a common disaster mode. It is unclear how the gas and coal spontaneously combusted in the roof cutting along gob working face. The goal of this study is to identify the distinctive features of combined disasters in gob from two different types of roof cutting along working faces. In these two different types of roof cutting along gob working faces, the paper constructs the permeability model of the gob. The findings demonstrate that the data from the field experiment and the simulation results agree, which validates the simulation's reliability. In contrast to single sided roof cutting along gob working faces, double sided roof cutting along gob working faces clearly has a thinner oxidation zone. Moreover, the oxidation zone of the double side roof cutting along gob working faces is closer to the working face, which is located in the shallow area of the gob 50 m behind the working face. The gas explosion area and the coal spontaneous combustion area are divided by the double side roof cutting along gob working face, which reduces the risk of compound disasters. Important theoretical direction for the prevention and control of gob disasters in the roof cutting along gob working face is provided by the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accomplish various and efficient inhibitions of coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) and solve the safety hazards of CSC encountered in the production and operation of coal mining enterprises, inhibitors play an important role in the prevention and management of CSC. Herein, we report quercetin, which is selection as an antioxidant to prepare a composite solid lipid inhibitor. The concentration of the composite solid lipid inhibitor with the best inhibition effect on the active groups is selected by Fourier pressure infrared experiments, the change pattern of gas content and characteristic temperature released from coal samples during an oxidation process warming process was tested by using a programmed warming test system and simultaneous thermal analysis experiments, and finally, the inhibitory rate and combustion characteristic index were calculated. The results of the research showed that 10 mass% of quercetin had the most impact on the various groups, the highest inhibitor rate of the composite solid lipid inhibitor is 80.67% in the coal low-temperature oxidation process, compared to the raw coal, the heat release of coal treated with the composite solid lipid inhibitor was decreased by 507.65 J g−1, the maximum amount of heat emitted was lowered by 60%, and the flammability index was reduced by 56.4. A composite solid lipid inhibitor containing quercetin developed in this paper indicated high effectiveness in inhibiting CSC, which is vital for coping with the safety management of coal mine production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In view of the complexity and concealment of goafs, numerical simulations have become an important means for studying the coupling disasters of spontaneous coal combustion and gas. Porosity is an important parameter in the numerical simulation, but this is difficult to detect directly on site, as the current porosity model does not fully reflect the characteristics of "three horizontal areas" and "three vertical zones" in the goaf. To establish a more accurate porosity model which is based on a theory of overlying strata movement, the Sigmoid function was introduced to reflect the distribution characteristics of the "three horizontal areas" in the goaf, and subsidence models of the main roof and overlying strata were established. A model that measures the porosity of the goaf was formulated, which reflects its O-shaped circle characteristics. The accuracy of the theoretical model was verified by obtaining experimental data. The results showed that the main roof subsidence in the natural accumulation area was approximately zero, there was an exponential decrease in the load-affected area, and the maximum subsidence appeared in the compacted area. The descending displacement was very small around the impacted area along the roadway wall. The movement of overlying strata in the fractured zone was controlled by the main roof, and the subsidence of the strata near the roadway wall and the working face was very small. In the vertical direction, the subsidence of the overlying strata decreased as the distance from the mining coal seam increased. The distribution of porosity in the goaf was shaped like a dustpan. In the horizontal direction, the porosity of the natural accumulation area and the impacted area of the roadway wall was the largest. Deep within the goaf, the porosity gradually decreased. The porosity in the fractured zone decreased in the vertical direction in a logarithmic manner. The porosity model proposed in this paper fully reflects the characteristics of the goaf, and provides a more accurate porosity model for the numerical simulation of spontaneous coal combustion and gas coupling disasters in the goaf. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous combustion of oxidized coal was one of the serious hazards during coal mining and utilization. However, spontaneous combustibility of oxidized coal affected by the first oxidation of coal was still unclear. In this paper, the influence of pre-heating with different oxygen concentrations on coal secondary spontaneous combustion behaviors was studied. Temperature-programmed heating experiments were carried out to prepare pre-heated coal samples by heating at the preset temperature of 80 °C in mixture atmosphere of N2 and O2 with different oxygen proportions of 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%. Pre-heated and raw coals were heated programmatically in an air atmosphere of 120 mL min−1 with a heating rate of 0.33 °C min−1. The gaseous compounds of O2, CO and CO2 were analyzed to identify spontaneous combustion behaviors of pre-heated and raw coals. The results showed that pre-heating at 80 °C promoted oxygen physisorption at low temperatures and lowered oxidability at high temperatures in the coal secondary oxidation process. Pre-heating at 80 °C with higher oxygen content reduced oxidability and exothermicity of coal secondary spontaneous combustion, but had no obvious effect on oxygen physisorption of coal low-temperature oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal and gas outbursts have occurred in the Zhaozhuang coal mine (a high gas coal mine) since its construction, and these outbursts pose a great threat to lives and property. Therefore, the combination of methane desorption experiments and molecular simulations was adopted to investigate the effects of moisture on the methane desorption characteristics of the Zhaozhuang coal, and the microscopic mechanism was analyzed in this paper. The aim of this work is to provide a method for predicting the effect of moisture on coal seam methane desorption, and quantitatively evaluating the control effect of hydraulic measures on coal and gas outbursts from a molecular perspective. The experimental data (methane desorption amount) were measured under various adsorption equilibrium pressures (0.3 MPa, 0.4 MPa, and 0.5 MPa) and moisture contents (0%, 5%, and 9.8%). Based on the Zhaozhuang coal molecular model, the molecular simulation process was conducted using Materials studio software, which can better match the experimental conditions by setting various pressure parameters (0.3 MPa, 0.4 MPa, and 0.5 MPa) and calculating various numbers of H2O molecules (0, 8, and 16) on the coal molecule. The results show that methane desorption decreases with the increasing moisture content in the experiment. The number of CH4 molecules adsorbed on the coal molecule decreases with the increasing number of H2O molecules in the simulation. This phenomenon can be explained by the competitive adsorption between CH4 and H2O molecule: the interaction between coal molecule and H2O molecules is stronger. The affinity between CH4 molecules and the coal molecule is reduced, and CH4 molecules are less aggregated around the coal molecule because of the presence of H2O molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric dustfall is solid air pollutant, has a major impact on the environment and human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the microscopic characteristics and sources of atmospheric dustfall in open-pit mining coal resource-based city in the arid desert area of Northwest China. The characteristics of size and shape factors, variation of shape factors with size distribution, types of individual particles, and sources of atmospheric dustfall, which were collected in the open-pit mining area and surrounding areas, were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy coupled with an energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM–EDS) combined with graphical method and shape factors. The results showed that the atmospheric dustfall in all functional areas was dominated by coarse-grained particles. The shape of the atmospheric dustfall deviated from spherical shape, and with decreasing particle size, the difference in shape factors increased in each functional area. The EDS and XRD analyses indicated the presence of 13 types of particles. The sources were mainly local and included soil dust from each functional area; industrial dust, construction dust, biogenic impurities, fossil fuel combustion, wear products of motor vehicle parts, motor vehicle exhaust emissions, and emission and excreta from biological activities in each functional area except the desert area; emissions from a steel plant in the industrial area; coal-associated ore, coal dust, coal gangue emissions, and emissions from the spontaneous combustion of coal gangue in the open-pit mining area; secondary chemical crystallization products in the industrial area and the open-pit mining area; dust generated by vehicles abrading the surface of the off-mine coal road and in the open-pit mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mine fire is a major problem for the Indian coal mining industry and exists since beginning of the mining. A huge amount of the prime coking coal reserves of different coalfields are blocked due to existence of fire and thus cannot be extracted without extinguishing it. Many approaches have been attempted in this direction to minimize this socio-technological problem. Use of chemical retardants to inhibit smouldering combustion phenomenon is an important method, which can be adopted to prevent or delay its occurrences. In this situation, it may sometimes be necessary to use fire retardants for reducing the intensity of fire so that the coal production will not be hampered. This paper presents the impact of chemical additives on coal oxidation process, studied from the mechanistic perspective aiming to search effective retardant materials to prevent and control coal self-heating phenomenon. A numbers of chemicals and combinations along with coal, which are moderately prone to smouldering combustion, were studied to determine its efficacy to prevent and combat it. In the process CPT, IPT and DSC study of coal samples and chemicals were observed. Based on the results, suitable retardants were selected and mixed with coal samples. The mixtures were further analysed for above properties. Finally, the best suitable combination of inhibitors were determined and applied in the field, which gave desired results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents laboratory and in situ research data on interaction of geomechanical and physicochemical processes in Kuzbass coal of various ranks, considering temperature effect. Under analysis is the relation of stress-strain state, temperature and infrared radiation of coal. The authors study the role of temperature and microstructure of coal in energy and mass exchange processes (variation of mass, volatile yield, specific surface, internal energy of methane adsorption capacity decrease and moisture content). Interrelation of outburst hazard and fire hazard in coal is discussed from the viewpoint of uniform stagewise thermomechanics and thermochemistry of coal behavior in the course of coal formation and extraction. The article introduces a generalized factor for quantitative description of petrographic properties of coal. Using this factor, the authors classify and describe petrographic groups of Kuzbass coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background, Goal, and Scope. Currently, only 40%, or 44.5 million metric tons, of coal combustion products (CCPs) generated in the United States each year by electric utilities are diverted from disposal in landfills or surface impoundments and recycled. Despite promising economic and environmental savings, there has been scant attention devoted to assessing life cycle impacts of CCP disposal and beneficial use. The objective of this paper is to present a life cycle inventory considering two cases of CCP management, including the stages of coal mining and preparation, coal combustion, CCP disposal, and CCP beneficial use. Six beneficial uses were considered: concrete production, structural fills, soil amendments, road construction, blasting grit and roofing granules, and wallboard. Methods. Primary data for raw material inputs and emissions of all stages considered were obtained from surveys and site visits of coal-burning utilities in Florida conducted in 2002, and secondary data were obtained from various published sources and from databases available in SimaPro 5.1 (PRé Consultants, Amersfoort, The Netherlands). Results. Results revealed that 50 percent of all CCPs produced, or 108 kg per 1,000 kg of coal combusted, are diverted for application in a beneficial use; however, the relative amounts sold by each utility is dependent on the process operating parameters, air emission control devices, and resulting quality of CCP. Diversion of 50% of all CCPs to beneficial use applications yields a decrease in the total raw materials requirements (with the exception of gravel and iron) and most emissions to air, water, and land, as compared to 100% disposal. Discussion. The greatest reduction of raw materials was attributed to replacing Portland cement with fly ash, using bottom ash as an aggregate in concrete production and road construction in place of natural materials, and substituting FGD gypsum for natural gypsum in wallboard. The use of fly ash as cementitious material in concrete also promised significant reductions in emissions, particularly the carbon dioxide that would be generated from Portland cement production. Beneficial uses of fly ash and gypsum showed reductions of emissions to water (particularly total dissolved solids) and emissions of metals to land, although these reductions were small compared to simply diverting 50% of all CCPs from landfills or surface impoundments. Conclusions. This life cycle inventory (LCI) provides the foundation for assessing the impacts of CCP disposal and beneficial use. Beneficial use of CCPs is shown here to yield reductions in raw material requirements and various emissions to all environmental compartments, with potential tangible savings to human health and the environment. Recommendations and Perspectives. Extension of this life cycle inventory to include impact assessment and sensitivity analysis will enable a determination of whether the savings in emissions reported here actually result in significant improvements in environmental and human health impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spontaneous combustion of coal leading to mine fire is a major problem in most of the coal mining countries in the world. It causes major loss to the Indian economy. The liability of coal to spontaneous combustion varies from place to place and mainly depends on the coal intrinsic properties and other geo-mining factors. Hence, the prediction of spontaneous combustion susceptibility of coal is of utmost importance for preventing the risk of fire in coal mines and utility sectors. Machine learning tools are pivotal in system improvements in relation to the statistical analysis of experimental results. Wet oxidation potential (WOP) of coal determined in the laboratory is one of the most relied indices used for assessing the spontaneous combustion susceptibility of coal. In this study, multiple linear regression (MLR) and five different machine learning (ML) techniques, such as Support Vector Regression (SVR), Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest (RF), Gradient Boosting (GB) and Extreme Gradient Boost (XGB) algorithms, were used to predict the spontaneous combustion susceptibility (WOP) of coal seams based on the coal intrinsic properties. The results derived from the models were compared with the experimental data. The results indicated excellent prediction accuracy and ease of interpretation of tree-based ensemble algorithms, like Random Forest, Gradient Boosting and Extreme Gradient Boosting. The MLR exhibited the least while XGB demonstrated the highest predictive performance. The developed XGB achieved R2 of 0.9879, RMSE of 4.364 and VAF of 84.28%. In addition, the results of sensitivity analysis showed that the volatile matter is most sensitive to the changes in WOP of coal samples considered in the study. Thus, during spontaneous combustion modelling and simulation, volatile matter can be used as the most influential parameter for assessing the fire risk of the coal samples considered in the study. Further, the partial dependence analysis was done to interpret the complex relationships between the WOP and intrinsic properties of coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) has been endangering the safety of the coal industry. Spontaneous combustion of coal may lead to coal seam combustion and gas explosions in coal mines, causing a lot of damage. At the same time, CSC will produce a large amount of carbon dioxide, which seriously endangers the ecological environment. Therefore, what reduces the spontaneous combustion of coal is necessary. Ionic liquid (IL) is a new kind of green organic solvent. It has the characteristics of good stability and can be used as a flame retardant for CSC. In this study, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (Bmim[Ntf2]) was selected as the flame retardant of bituminous coal spontaneous combustion, where thermal stability of bituminous coal treated by Bmim[Ntf2] and raw bituminous coal was studied by the simultaneous thermogravimetric analyzer. The apparent activation energy was calculated by the FWO method. The decomposition gas products of bituminous coal and bituminous coal treated with Bmim[Ntf2] were analyzed by Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometer to investigate the effect of intramolecular hydrogen bond on bituminous coal spontaneous combustion. The results show that Bmim[Ntf2] inhibits the spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal. The addition of Bmim[Ntf2] increases the decomposition temperature of bituminous coal, where the apparent activation energy is increased. The results of Fourier-transformed infrared spectrometry show that the reduction in hydrogen bonds reduces the risk of spontaneous combustion of bituminous coal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A geological model related to coal-rock electromagnetic parameters is constructed in this work using coal-rock media and coal-rock interfaces as the research objects for electromagnetic wave propagation response. An in-depth analysis was conducted to examine the response characteristics of the electromagnetic wave detection technology for coal and rock geological orientations while drilling in coal mines. We also studied the detection and identification methods and applicability of coal and rock interfaces. Next, we simulated the response characteristics of the instrument in the coal seam and established a calculation method for the orientation of the interface between the roof and floor of the coal seam and the distance between the instrument and the coal seam's interface. The quasi-Newton method was used to perform inversion calculations on the theoretical model of the response of the borehole-while-drilling azimuth electromagnetic wave resistivity tool, and the simulation data were inverted in real time, thereby reducing the number of calculations of the Jacobian matrix, improving the inversion speed, and decreasing the level of dependence on the initial value. Furthermore, we obtained the signal response law of electromagnetic wave detection in low-resistivity aquifers and abnormal geological bodies (e.g., collapse columns and gangue interlayers) based on forward and inversion numerical simulation. Finally, by investigating the directional electromotive force simulation imaging method of the orthogonal coil, we verified the feasibility of the application of azimuth electromagnetic wave resistivity in high-resistivity coal seams. In this way, we can provide the basis for the detection of coal seam interface, geological anomaly body, and geological guidance application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coal spontaneous combustion often occurs in coal seam mining, which may lead to mine fires and other disasters. It is essential to investigate the detailed differences in combustion processes, characteristic temperatures, characteristic parameters of mass loss, combustion characteristic indices, and reaction kinetic characteristics of coal with different metamorphic degrees. Therefore, long-flame coal, non-caking coal, gas coal, and anthracite were selected as experimental samples. The microphysical properties of coal were studied by the proximate and ultimate analyzer, and scanning electron microscope, then the coal combustion characteristics were compared by simultaneous thermal analyzer. The results clearly indicated that the heating rate was positively correlated with the five characteristic temperatures, two mass loss rates, and two combustion characteristic indices of coal. Moreover, with the increase of metamorphic degree, the porosity of the coal surface structure decreased, the corresponding five characteristic temperatures increased, and the two combustion characteristic indices decreased. Significantly, the burnout temperature was mainly affected by the heating rate, and the maximum exothermic peak temperature was affected by the metamorphic degree. The combustion of the four kinds of coal as the first-order chemical reaction, the apparent activation energy of long-flame coal was the lowest, the easiest to burn, and the risk of spontaneous combustion was the greatest. These results revealed the thermodynamic characteristics of coal spontaneous combustion in specific mines from a microscopic viewpoint and provided basic data for the prevention of mine fires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problem of spontaneous combustion of coal relics caused by the overburden fracture network penetrating the upper and lower coal seams in the process of shallow-buried and short-distance coal seam mining, the 31114 working face of Lijiahao coal mine was used as the research background to study the characteristics of overburden transport and fracture development in shallow-buried and short-distance coal seam mining by using physical similar simulation test; the fractal dimension and image processing techniques were used to quantify the overburden fractures; the classical mechanical models of "solid support beam" and "masonry beam" were combined to analyze the causes of fracture dynamic evolution. The results show that: (1) Before the key seam fracture, the stress in the upper rock seam only changes in a small amount, and the stress in the lower rock seam evolves similarly to the single coal seam mining; when the key seam fracture is broken, the stress in the upper and lower rock seams will change by jumps. (2) The fractal dimension of the fissures rised from 1.4 to 1.5, the total area of fissures is increased from 16,638 pixels to 17,707 pixels, and the total length is increased from 2217 to 3071 pixels; after the main key layer of the overlying rock is broken, the fractal dimension of the fissures is reduced from 1.56 to 1.5, and the total area of fissures is reduced from 31,451 pixels to 29,089 pixels, the total length has increased from 5657 to 6619 pixels. (3) Before the key layer between the coal seams is broken, it will be suspended to form a "fixed beam". After the first break, the broken rock above it will settle synchronously until the rock blocks form a hinged structure and then collapse. After the fall stops, the key layer periodically breaks to form a "masonry beam" structure, and the overlying stratum settles synchronously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The early prediction of violent coal-bearing strata failure using effective monitoring is crucial to avoid losses due to catastrophic failures and geological disasters to ensure safe and efficient underground deep coal mining. In this study, the early coal failure precursor was established by researching the application of critical slowing down theory (CSDT) using two infrared radiation (IR) indexes, i.e., variance IR temperature (VIRT) and variance of differential infrared image temperature (VDIIT) under different loading rates. The CSDT parameters: variance and autocorrelation, are evaluated using both indexes in different time window and lag step lengths. The test results revealed that the abrupt and significant fluctuations in variance and autocorrelation for both indexes occurred during rock deformation and before the violent damage. The autocorrelation comparatively shows an obvious reliable fluctuation due to stationarity (show no change in fluctuation before the inflection point), which can be used as a precursor for violent rock failure. It has been shown that the stress level of autocorrelation at the inflection point decreases inversely with the loading rate for both indexes. These stress levels for VIRT are 0.920, 0.890, 0.865, and 0.813 of the σmax under the corresponding loading rates of 0.1, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.0 mm/min, respectively. For VDIIT, at loading rates of 0.1, 0.4, 0.7, and 1.0 mm/min the stress levels are 0.930, 0.892, 0.870, and 0.815 σmax, respectively. Therefore, it has been recommended that the prediction performance of precursory characteristics of IR can be improved by applying the CSDT for an early prediction of rock failure. Highlights: In this study, the early coal failure precursor was established by exploring the application of critical slowing down theory (CSDT) under different loading rates. During different loading rates, the CSDT parameters variance and autocorrelation are evaluated using IR indexes, i.e., variance infrared radiation temperature (VIRT) and variance of differential infrared image temperature (VDIIT) under different window and lag step lengths. The test results revealed that the abrupt and significant fluctuations in variance and autocorrelation for VIRT and VDIIT occurred during rock deformation and violent damage. The autocorrelation comparatively shows a reliable fluctuation due to stationarity, which can be used as a precursor for rock failure. The precursor information based on autocorrelation stress level decreases (about 3.4% for VIRT and 4.2% for VDIIT) with an increase in loading rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing complication of production and geology conditions, and the increase of mining intensity and depth in coal mine, the coal structure presents varying degrees of deformation. In order to study the influence of uniaxial tension–compression effect on mechanical properties of coal matrix and CH4/CO2 adsorption characteristics, a macromolecular model reflecting the realistic bituminous coal structure was established. Results demonstrate that the influence of tension strain on the microporous structural parameters is greater than that of compression strain, and the tension strain weakens the mechanical properties but enhances the adsorbates adsorption amount. For the pure gases adsorption, there is a negative linear correlation between the total energy and adsorption amount. Additionally, the strain ranging from −0.20 to 0.20, the distribution of punctated adsorbates density develops to that of banded adsorbates density, and the mean adsorption density and saturated adsorption amount increase linearly. For the binary components adsorption (1:1), the CH4 adsorption strength increases while the CO2 adsorption strength slightly decreases. The minimum of total energy decreases in a quadratic polynomial relationship with the strain, and the proportion of van der Waals energy is 75.8–85.5%. Nevertheless, the competitive adsorption and strain have little effect on the potential energy range of the adsorbates. Furthermore, the diffusibility of CO2 molecular layers is relatively good, and the strain enhances the stability of CH4 molecular layers for the saturated binary adsorption. The findings provide essential guidance for the improvement of carbon capture and storage and CO2-enhanced coalbed methane technologies in the deformation area of coal seam. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deposits remained after coal combustion are a well-known occurrence in the world; unfortunately, only a small percentage of such deposits are adequately regulated and, consequently, pose a serious threat to the local environment. Attenuation of negative consequences presupposes knowledge of a number of features, both of the deposit and the local environment as well the interaction with local biota. In this study, unregulated waste generated from decades of coal mining and combustion of superhigh-organic-sulfur Raša coal, enriched in Se-U–Mo-V and located in a vulnerable karst region, was investigated. To assess the impact of landfill on the environment, in addition to its general geochemical and mineralogical features, the human health risk was assessed and the leaching of elements from the landfill, local soil, and the coal itself was investigated. For the latter, three extraction procedures, ASTM, EP, and TCLP (pH 4.93 and 2.9), were employed, mimicking different environmental conditions, including the sporadic occurrence of acid rains in the region. The soil around the landfill displayed enrichment in the majority of elements compared to expected values, with exception of Se, Mo, U, V, Sr, and Cu found at the highest levels in landfill samples. Mobility of elements was found to be controlled by both pH and mineralogy (carbonates and sulfates), whereby the overall highest relative mobility was observed in landfill samples for elements prevalently bound to sulfate phases. Calculated Hazard Quotient describes this landfill as a risk to the environment and human health through different pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the process of deep mining of coal resources, coal seams with better geological conditions are gradually mined preferentially, and the safe and efficient mining of working face in complex and heterogeneous spaces of residual coal seams is an urgent problem to be solved.. Based on the Kuangou Coal Mine as the background, using microseismic monitoring instruments and pressure sensor monitoring systems, the rock pressure appearance and microseismic energy characteristics accompanying the evolution of the overburden strata structure in the mining of solid coal and the lower working face of the gob are analyzed. Research on the precursory characteristics and early warning of micro-earthquakes. The research results show that: (1) The period of the W1123 working face mining under solid coal is relatively frequent, and the energy of microseismic events is higher than that under the mined-out area. However, the overlying rock structure under the gob is loose, broken and easy to move, showing obvious "high frequency-low energy" characteristics. (2) Extremely low values of the number and energy of microseismic events occurrs in the first 3 to 5 days of the rockburst event in the working face, and the locations of the rockburst disaster in the mine were generally distributed at the edge of the low-density area of the microseismic event. The accuracy of rockburst prediction is effectively improved through multi-parameter comprehensive early warning. (3) Roof deep hole blasting and roof cutting pressure relief weaken the roof energy accumulation and the concentrated release of rock formation energy, reduce the roof activity intensity in the microseismic event gathering area, and reduce the occurrence of large-energy events, which will easily induce large shock hazards. The energy event weakens into a slow release of multiple small energy events. This research provides a reference for the safe and efficient mining of working faces in complex space environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a high potential for coal spontaneous combustion (CSC) above the roof beams of supports during the mining-stopped period. Early detection of temperature abnormal zones and corresponding measures are necessary to prevent CSC. In this work, a top-coal temperature measurement method was proposed, combining the coal surface temperature detection and the drilling temperature observation. Furthermore, an apparatus was developed that dramatically increases the rate of dry ice sublimation, resulting in the rapid release of cryogenic carbon dioxide gas. The device utilizes water from firefighting pipes in underground coal mines as a heat source for dry ice sublimation without electrical energy and has been applied and validated taking Silaogou Coal Mine in China as a field test site. Specifically, we found that during the stoppage period, the coal above the supports near the air inlet tunnel is more likely to appear hot spots; the carbon dioxide gas generated by the dry ice phase change device can quickly reduce the hot spots temperature, and the coal temperature does not rebound after the gas injection is stopped. Based on the above analysis, this work can effectively prevent the early top-coal spontaneous combustion during the stop mining period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is necessary to change the air supply rate of the working face during the withdrawal of fully mechanized mining, making it important to study the oxidation characteristics of coal samples under different air supply rates. Through a self-made temperature-programmed experimental device, our focus was on studying the change laws of indicator gases released during the low-temperature (303.15–473.15 K) oxidation stage when the air supply rates of the coal samples were 0.67, 1.33, 2, 2.67, and 3.33 mL/s. The experimental results showed that the air supply increased, the concentrations of CO, C2H6, C3H8, C2H4, and C2H2 generated by the coal sample at the same temperature decreased, and the oxidation process decelerated. The initial temperatures of the four hydrocarbon gases were delayed to varying degrees with the increase in the air volume, and C2H4 was found to be more suitable as a hydrocarbon gas for the early warning of coal spontaneous combustion. Surface fitting was applied to analyze the change law of the CO generation rate under the combined effect of temperature and air supply; the change was divided into three stages. The CO concentration model at the upper corner of the working face during the withdrawal period was deduced, and comprehensive safety measures were put forward to prevent coal spontaneous combustion during the withdrawal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of PM2.5 were collected on PTFE filters at 11 monitoring stations in Dhanbad, India, from March, 2014, to February, 2015, for the quantification of 10 PM2.5-bound trace elements by using ICP-OES, source apportionment by using principal component analysis and health risks posed by PM2.5-bound trace elements by using health risk assessment model developed by US EPA. The average annual PM2.5 concentration (149 ± 66 µg/m3) exceeded the national ambient air quality standards by factor of 3.7, US EPA national ambient air quality standards by factor of 10 and WHO air quality guidelines by factor of 15. The sum total of average annual concentration of all PM2.5-bound trace elements was found to be 3.206 µg/m3 with maximum concentrations of Fe (61%), Zn (21%) and Pb (11%). Coal mining, coal combustion, vehicular emission, tyre and brake wear and re-suspension of road dust were identified as dominant sources of PM2.5-bound trace elements from the results of correlation and chemometric analysis. The significantly high HQ values posed by PM2.5-bound Co and Ni and intensification of HI values (15.7, 10.8 and 8.54 in mining area, transportation routes and institutional area, respectively) for multielemental exposure indicate high potential of non-carcinogenic health risk associated with inhalation exposure. The carcinogenic health risk due to multielemental exposure in mining area (2.27 × 10−4) and transportation routes (1.57 × 10−4) for adults were significantly higher than threshold value indicating the vulnerability of adults toward inhalation-induced carcinogenic risk posed by PM2.5-bound trace elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO) emissions from fossil fuel combustion may be reduced by using natural gas rather than coal to produce energy. Gas produces approximately half the amount of CO per unit of primary energy compared with coal. Here we consider a scenario where a fraction of coal usage is replaced by natural gas (i.e., methane, CH) over a given time period, and where a percentage of the gas production is assumed to leak into the atmosphere. The additional CH from leakage adds to the radiative forcing of the climate system, offsetting the reduction in CO forcing that accompanies the transition from coal to gas. We also consider the effects of: methane leakage from coal mining; changes in radiative forcing due to changes in the emissions of sulfur dioxide and carbonaceous aerosols; and differences in the efficiency of electricity production between coal- and gas-fired power generation. On balance, these factors more than offset the reduction in warming due to reduced CO emissions. When gas replaces coal there is additional warming out to 2,050 with an assumed leakage rate of 0%, and out to 2,140 if the leakage rate is as high as 10%. The overall effects on global-mean temperature over the 21st century, however, are small. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]