Coal swelling because of methane
and carbon dioxide was measured
by the volumetric method in isothermal and non-isothermal conditions.
These investigations are of key importance in the context of potential
CO2 sequestration in deep unmined coalbeds. Changes of
the temperature underground may disturb the adsorption balance, leading
to volumetric processes in the coal strata (swelling or shrinking),
which can give rise to leaks and gas desorption toward the ground
surface. The isothermal results show that the strain exhibited by
a coal sample during CO2 sorption is about twice that of
CH4. The liner strain kinetics also show that the swelling
of the sample when exposed to both gases is anisotropic and greater
in the direction perpendicular to the bedding plane than parallel
to it. In the case of the non-isothermal process, the pattern of dilatometric
processes seems to be different. The temperature increase gives rise
to the sample swelling when exposed to methane, yet the presence of
CO2 leads to sample contraction, which can be attributed
to the different mechanisms involved in CO2 deposition.
CO2 accumulated in pores undergoes a rapid phase transition
as a result of capillary condensation, leading to rapid desorption
and, in consequence, shrinking of the coal sample.
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