Methane Adsorption Behavior and Energy Variations of Brittle Tectonically Deformed Coal under High Temperature and High Pressure.

This paper aims to reveal the methane adsorption characteristics of brittle tectonically deformed coal (TDC) under high temperature and high equilibrium pressure and the surface free energy changes during methane adsorption. Taking the anthracite of the Yangquan mining area of China as the research object, methane adsorption tests of high temperature and high pressure were conducted to discuss the influences of coal deformation, temperature, and pressure on the gas adsorption behaviors of coal under the in situ conditions of deep coal seams. Results indicated that coal deformation and pressure had positive effects on the methane adsorption capacity of coal, whereas temperature showed negative effects. Meanwhile, the negative influences of temperature rise on gas adsorption gradually increased with the equilibrium pressure and the enhancement of coal deformation. In a given adsorption system, the adsorption potential decreased with increasing pressure while increased with temperature. In contrast, the adsorption space increased with increasing pressure and decreased with temperature rise. Meanwhile, adsorption potential decreased with the increase in adsorption space. In the process of methane adsorption, with increasing adsorption pressure, the cumulative reduction of surface free energy gradually increased, whereas the surface free energy reduction at each pressure point decreased. The cumulative and incremental reduction of surface free energy at each pressure point gradually decreased with the increase in temperature. The reduction of adsorption space and cumulative surface free energy and the changes in surface free energy at each pressure point of brittle TDCs were higher than those of primary structure coal, and the changes in the strongly deformed coal (granulitic and mortar coal) were more significant than those of the weakly deformed coal (cataclastic coal). Based on the adsorption potential theory, we drew the adsorption characteristic curves and established adsorption capacity prediction models of primary structure coal and brittle TDCs.