Abstract
Multiscale nondestructive characterization of coal microscopic physical structure can provide important information for coal conversion and coal-bed methane extraction. In this study, the physical structure of a coal sample was investigated by synchrotron-based multiple-energy X-ray CT at three beam energies and two different spatial resolutions. A data-constrained modeling (DCM) approach was used to quantitatively characterize the multiscale compositional distributions at the two resolutions. The volume fractions of each voxel for four different composition groups were obtained at the two resolutions. Between the two resolutions, the difference for DCM computed volume fractions of coal matrix and pores is less than 0.3%, and the difference for mineral composition groups is less than 0.17%. This demonstrates that the DCM approach can account for compositions beyond the X-ray CT imaging resolution with adequate accuracy. By using DCM, it is possible to characterize a relatively large coal sample at a relatively low spatial resolution with minimal loss of the effect due to subpixel fine length scale structures.
Highlights
A coal sample can be grouped in three compositions: coal matrix, minerals, and pores
Multiple-scale three-dimensional characterization of coal physical structure is helpful for clean and high efficient utilization of coal. It is useful for obtaining fundamental data to establish three-dimensional (3D) fluid transportation model in coal matrix during enhanced coal-bed methane (ECBM) process
The distributions of pores, coal matrix, and minerals in the same region of the coal sample have been quantitatively reconstructed at different spatial resolutions
Summary
A coal sample can be grouped in three compositions: coal matrix (organic composition), minerals (inorganic compositions), and pores. Multiple-scale three-dimensional characterization of coal physical structure is helpful for clean and high efficient utilization of coal. It is useful for obtaining fundamental data to establish three-dimensional (3D) fluid transportation model in coal matrix during enhanced coal-bed methane (ECBM) process. Karacan and Okandan [12, 13], Mazumder et al [14], and Yao et al [15, 16] studied the distribution of different compositions in coal sample by X-ray CT imaging. Microfocus CT combined with dual-energy method and image segmentation has been an important method for quantitative characterization of the physical structure of coal
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