About determination of susceptibility of coals to spontaneous combustion using an adiabatic test method

Author: J. Cygankiewicz

The research work on spontaneous combustion carried out in the Central Mining Institute's Ventilation Division, Katowice, has been discussed in the article.

During the tests, the airflow was forced through a crushed coal sample of 520 g placed in a reaction chamber and heated up to 400'C, which caused oxidation of coal and changes of its humidity.

Changes of coal temperature, humidity and oxygen consumption with time characterise the dynamics of the process of spontaneous combustion.

In order to explain the nature of those changes and to determine the thermal balance of spontaneous combustion, a mathematical model of the phenomenon was elaborated, based on simplifying physical and chemical assumptions.

Also, the results of tests on coal samples taken from "Borynia", "Marcel", "Andaluzja" and .Julian" mines were presented.