Open Chemistry (Dec 2019)
The Chemical Softening Effect and Mechanism of Low Rank Coal Soaked in Alkaline Solution
Abstract
In order to analyze the feasibility of chemical softening on low rank coals, bituminous coal was collected from the Qianqiu mine in Henan Province, China, and soaked in water and alkaline solution for different lengths of time. The complete stress-strain and acoustic emission (AE) experiments on the coal samples under uniaxial compression were tested on the RMT-150B Rock Mechanics Testing System and DS2 series AE signal analyzer. The results showed that the coal samples soaked in the water and alkaline solution present different characteristics in the deformation and failure process. As we increase the soaking time, the uniaxial compressive strength and deformation degree of the soaked coal samples in the alkaline solution and water decreased by 42.7% and 94.8% respectively. In the loading test, an AE signal is generated in all coal samples and the maximum ringing count rate and AE energy rate are present near the stress maximum for a short time. Moreover, the ringing count rate and AE energy rate have a good consistency with the stress-strain of the coal samples. The cumulative ringing count of the two groups soaked in water and alkaline solution decreased by 51% and 89% compared to the original coal sample. However, the decreased degree of the samples soaked in the alkaline solution is much higher than that of those soaked in water and the results showed that the alkaline solution has a better softening effect on the coal sample. With the increase of the alkaline solution concentration, the contact angle decreased from 112.5° to 41°. Through microscope and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the soaked coal samples, we found that the pores and fissures increased, the structure of coal became loose, and the mechanical strength decreased sharply after soaking in the alkaline solution, thus achieving a chemical softening effect.
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