Abstract
In order to explore the changes during the coal cooling process in a closed fire zone (CFZ), the oxidation characteristics of the heating and cooling processes were thoroughly examined and compared. The heating and cooling processes under various oxygen concentrations of three coals were simulated with temperature-programmed experiment and coal spontaneous combustion experiment. Furthermore, the hottest spot, oxygen consumption, index gases, and oxidation kinetics between the gaseous production rate (f) and coal temperature (T), air supply (Q), oxygen concentration (CO2), and apparent activation energy (Ea) were analysed. The results revealed that the movements of the hottest spots did not overlap in the heating and cooling processes. Moreover, the oxygen consumption during the cooling process was higher than that during the heating process, and a lower oxygen concentration was associated with higher oxygen consumption, a condition in which coal strongly captured oxygen actively. The index gases during the heating and cooling processes notably differed, which were related to coal types, and during the forced heating process, the CO2/CO ratios of 1/3 coking coal and anthracite were higher than that of the forced cooling process, even under the oxygen-lean conditions, the CH4/C2H4 ratio of lignite during the forced cooling process was also notable. Moreover, the results in the cooling process of the temperature-programmed experiment in the carrier gases with 7% and 3% O2 were consistent with that of the spontaneous combustion experiment. Finally, the apparent activation energy at different stages of the heating and cooling processes was calculated, exhibiting inconformity, and apparent activation energy is lower in the cooling process, which is related to its higher oxygen consumption, and showing stronger oxidisability in the cooling process. In addition, through the results of coal oxidation kinetics, it is found that coal temperature affected the magnitude of apparent activation energy, the oxygen concentration impacted the oxidation activity of coal. These research results are valuable for informing the process of fire extinguishment and guiding the fire area unsealing in CFZ.
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