Correspondence between mean maximum reflectance of vitrinite and classification of bituminous coals

Based on analyses of about 600 coal-seam samples used for Classification of Chinese Coal,the range of mean maximum reflectance of vitrinite(R~o_(max),%) of different classes of bituminous coal was presented and the correspondence between them was discussed.The results show that there is distinct relation between reflectance of vitrinite and coal classification,though this correspondence is relatively complex,especially in low-medium metamorphic bituminous stage where coals with same sometimes can be divided into different classes.The regularity is obvious about the correspondence between mean maximum reflectance of vitrinite and classification of coals.