安全工程专业中英文文献翻译煤炭自燃.docVIP

Spontaneous combustion of coal Coal undergoes slow oxidation on exposure to air at ambient temperatures, with the evolution of heat, gases and moisture, the heat generated, if not dissipated, gives rise to an increase in the temperature of the coal. As the temperature of the coal rises, the rate of oxidation increases. If this is allowed to proceed unchecked it can eventually result in the ignition of the coal. This oxidation process is known as spontaneous combustion or spontaneous heating or self-heating. Self-heating, therefore, occurs when the rate of heat generation exceeds the rate of oxidation. During recent years there has been a renewed interest in the spontaneous combustion of coal in all coal mining countries particularly because of the use of caving methods and the thicker seams being mined. Large-scale bulk storage and bulk transport of coal have also become more important with the increase in coal trade. Evaluation of the potential of coal for spontaneous combustion Several methods have been used to evaluate the potential of coal for spontaneous combustion but none is clearly superior. The most common methods used are described blow. Oxygen absorption In this method, a coal sample is placed in a container and oxygen or air is added to it. The amount of oxygen absorbed by the coal is estimated from the analysis of the gaseous reaction products. The temperature increase per unit of oxygen consumed indicates potential of coal for spontaneous combustion. Heating rate/crossing-point temperature In this method, a coal sample is placed in a bath and heated at a constant rate. Initially, the temperature of the coal lags behind the temperature of the bath but as coal begins to self-heat, the temperature of the coal first coincides with and then exceeds the temperature of the bath. The crossing-point temperature is known as the ‘relative ignition temperature’. Usually, the crossing –point temperature is used as a measure of the potential of coal for spontan