Numerical simulation of adsorption process of O2/H2O mixed gas in coal porous media

Abstract

Abstract It is of great significance for coal mining and utilization to study the adsorption process of mixed gas in coal. In this paper, the Monte Carlo method (MC) is employed to study the competitive saturation adsorption of oxygen and water vapor inside coal particles, and then the convection, diffusion and adsorption inside and between particles are studied by lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). In addition, this study examines the impacts of porosity, average particle size, and gas concentration on the process of adsorption in coal porous media. The research results show that oxygen and water vapor present in the mixed gas experience increased permeability, diffusion rate, and saturated adsorption capacity as the porosity and average particle size of the coal porous medium increase. However, the time required to achieve saturated adsorption decreases. Under the condition of maintaining the proportion of gas components and altering the initial gas concentrations from 4.087 to 53.131 mol/m3, saturated adsorption capacity of both gases remains nearly unchanged. Yet, the effective diffusivity of gases declines with increasing initial concentration. Additionally, it is also found that water vapor diffuses more quickly than oxygen in the mixed gas and achieves adsorption saturation faster.

Keywords

• Coal porous medium
• Monte Carlo method
• Lattice Boltzmann method
• Adsorption