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Title: Spontaneous-combustion studies of US coals. Rept. of Investigations/1987

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6055355

This report describes laboratory studies conducted by the Bureau of Mines on the spontaneous combustion of U.S. coals. Approximately 11 pct of U.S. underground-coal-mine fires are attributed to spontaneous combustion. The relative self-heating tendencies of 24 coal samples were evaluated in an adiabatic heating oven. Minimum self-heating temperatures (SHT's) in the oven ranged from 35/sup 0/C for a lignite and high-volatile C bituminous coal, to 135/sup 0/C for two low-volatile bituminous coals. The minimum SHT's of two coals were determined, and the results were in good agreement with those found in the adiabatic oven. Finally, results of a test in the moderate-scale apparatus indicated a strong dependence of the self-heating rate of a low-rank coal on the moisture content of the air.

Research Organization:
Bureau of Mines, Pittsburgh, PA (USA). Pittsburgh Research Center
OSTI ID:
6055355
Report Number(s):
PB-87-231619/XAB; BM-RI-9079
Resource Relation:
Other Information: Also available from Supt. of Docs.; Library of Congress catalog card No. 86-607906
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English