Analysis of the influence of different pore ratios on methane adsorption characteristics of coal

Abstract

The diverse pore structures in coal are pivotal in coalbed methane storage and transportation, making it highly significant to explore methane adsorption characteristics across varying pore sizes for effective prevention and control of coal mine gas disasters. Using the proposed graphene nanotube filling method, eight coal molecule models with varying pore size ratios were constructed, including four different pore radii: 0.35 nm, 0.55 nm, 0.75 nm, and 2 nm. Methane adsorption amount, methane density, and methane concentration distribution were obtained through Monte Carlo (GCMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. The research results show that coal consisting of multiple pore sizes had a better methane adsorption capacity than a single pore size. Combining pore sizes of 0.35 nm, 0.55 nm, and 0.75 nm in a 1:2:1 ratio resulted in the highest excess methane adsorption capacity in coal, reaching 5.623 mmol/g. The single pore size of 0.55 nm in coal had the lowest excess adsorption amount of methane, which was 2.236 mmol/g. The presence of mesopores weakened the methane adsorption capacity of coal, and this weakening effect increased with the increase of mesopore proportion. In the model composed of single pore size micropores, the methane concentration inside the pores was uniformly distributed. The coexistence of multiple micropores may lead to methane filling in the micropores in a monolayer adsorption form. The coexistence of micropores and mesopores does not alter methane filling in the micropores and monolayer adsorption in the mesopores. The research results provide new insights into our understanding of the impact of pores on methane adsorption in coal.