Assessment of Spontaneous Heating Susceptibility of Indian Coals by Experimental Techniques

Coal mine fires due to spontaneous heating are a major problem in coal mining industry worldwide. In this process, coal reacts with oxygen of air at ambient temperature liberating heat, which if not properly dissipated may lead to increase in temperature, which in turn enhances the rate of reaction, ultimately culminating in open fire. Occurrences of spontaneous heating in mines are major cause of accidents, resulting in loss of lives and property. Development of spontaneous heating in any section/part of a mine creates problems for the workings of nearby areas. They also cause loss of coal reserves, sterilisation of resources, reduction of heating values and coking properties, and environmental pollution. Since, all coals do not show the same heating tendency on exposure to air, its assessment is essential to plan the production and storage capabilities in mines. Different experimental techniques are followed in different countries for assessment of the spontaneous heating tendency. However, any particular experiment does not yield a confirmatory result. Therefore, some researchers suggest to conduct multiple number of experiments in order to reach at a definite conclusion (Banerjee, 2000). In this study, an attempt has been made to study the spontaneous heating tendency of Indian coal seams by using different experimental techniques.