Abstract
Ground-based surveys of three coal fires and airborne surveys of two of the fires were conducted near Sheridan, Wyoming. The fires occur in natural outcrops and in abandoned mines, all containing Paleocene-age subbituminous coals. Diffuse (carbon dioxide (CO2) only) and vent (CO2, carbon monoxide (CO), methane, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and elemental mercury) emission estimates were made for each of the fires. Additionally, gas samples were collected for volatile organic compound (VOC) analysis and showed a large range in variation between vents. The fires produce locally dangerous levels of CO, CO2, H2S, and benzene, among other gases. At one fire in an abandoned coal mine, trends in gas and tar composition followed a change in topography. Total CO2 fluxes for the fires from airborne, ground-based, and rate of fire advancement estimates ranged from 0.9 to 780mg/s/m2 and are comparable to other coal fires worldwide. Samples of tar and coal-fire minerals collected from the mouth of vents provided insight into the behavior and formation of the coal fires.
Highlights
Thousands of coal fires occur worldwide, in every major coalbearing region and on all continents except for Antarctica (Stracher, 2010)
A total of 153 diffuse CO2 flux measurements were made at 119 sampling points across the three coal fires
Individual CO2 fluxes ranged from −42 to 29,500 g/m2/d
Summary
Thousands of coal fires occur worldwide, in every major coalbearing region and on all continents except for Antarctica (Stracher, 2010). A small, but growing, body of research has been conducted to determine the composition and, in some cases, the quantity of gases generated by coal fires (Carras et al, 2009; Hower et al, 2009; O'Keefe et al, 2010, 2011; Engle et al, 2011; Ide and Orr, 2011). Few comparisons have been made showing differences in gas composition and emissions between multiple coal fires. In addition to gas-phase products, solid and semi-solid phases (minerals and tars) form at the mouth of some coal-fire vents (Pone et al, 2007; Stracher, 2007; Silva et al, in press), but the relationship
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
