Laser micropyrolysis of coal macerals. annual report, november 1984-october 1985

Technical Report · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:5626510

Vastola, F J

Two advantages are gained through the use of laser irradiation to pyrolyze coal. The ability to focus the laser output enables the selective pyrolysis of individual macerals to be made. Secondly, the laser power can be chosen so that selective bond breaking will occur. Information gained in the analysis of a series of coals and polymers by laser-induced pyrolysis within the ionization chamber of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer has shown that the process of surface heating enables primary products, fragments of the original coal structure, to be detected. The results indicate that the vitrinite maceral in coal is composed of a small number of one- and two-ring aromatic and hydroaromatic groups linked by short aliphatic bridges. Correlations can be made between both the degree of hydroaromaticity and aliphatic bridge length with vitrinite reflectance.

• Research Organization: Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA). Davey Lab.
• OSTI ID: 5626510
• Report Number(s): PB-86-179025/XAB
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010600* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Properties & Composition
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL
COAL GASIFICATION
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GASIFICATION
LASER SPECTROSCOPY
MACERALS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MATERIALS
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
OXIDATION
PYROLYSIS
SPECTROSCOPY
STABILITY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES