Low-temperature reactivity of coals for evaluation of spontaneous combustion propensity

Abstract

Low rank coals are more reactive at low temperatures than high rank coals, which leads to spontaneous combustion if not controlled. Due to the increased use of low rank coals, preventing spontaneous combustion during storage and size reduction has become an important issue in power plants. The present study evaluates the low-temperature reactivity for various coals in terms of their rank and country of origin. The experimental method determined the temperature and its gradient for coals in a small fixed bed at the point surpassing that of input oxygen, which were defined as the crossing-point temperature (CPT) and slope (CPS), respectively. Combining the two parameters, a low-temperature reactivity index (LTR index) was proposed. The method tested 17 coals collected from a power plant that yielded CPTs ranging between 168–190 °C and CPSs between 0.862–1.228 °C/min. The LTR index for the coals was calculated to be 0.696 to 1.542. The LTR index was positively correlated with the moisture content and volatile matter/fixed carbon (VM/FC) ratio, and inversely correlated with the ash content. The ignition temperature, measured by thermogravimetric tests, also exhibited a positive relationship with the LTR index. However, no single property of coal was sufficiently correlated with the self-heating propensity for all the coals tested, illustrating the complex mechanisms involved.