Understanding gas
desorption effects and laws of coal mass under
different conditions is essential for the effective exploration of
gas emission in underground coal mines, prediction and prevention
of coal and gas outburst, accurate detection of gas [coal methane
(CBM)] content in coal seams, and prediction of CBM productivity.
Using a self-developed test platform, we simulated gas adsorption
and desorption and performed physical simulation tests. Based on these
tests, we investigated the differences in the total amount of gas
desorbed, desorption rate, and initial amount of gas desorbed by long-flame
coal, coking coal, meager-lean coal, and anthracite on different scales
under different gas pressures. Two methods are used for compensating
gas loss, namely, the
method
and the power function method, as
stipulated in the current Standards for Determination of Gas Content
in Coal Seams in China. By combining these two methods, we analyzed
the applicability of these two compensation methods in coal on different
scales with varying degrees of metamorphism under gas pressures. The
results demonstrated that (1) under the same gas adsorption pressure,
the cumulative total amount of gas desorbed per unit mass within 90
min for the four kinds of coal samples increases with the degree of
metamorphism. Changes in the cumulative amount of gas desorbed per
unit mass and the desorption rate with the degree of metamorphism
vary with stages. Notably, a higher adsorption pressure leads to a
more obvious stage change. (2) Under the same gas adsorption pressure,
the cumulative total amount of gas desorbed per unit mass and the
desorption rate of coal with the same degree of metamorphism are inversely
proportional to the size of the coal sample. This indicates significant
scale effects. The larger the degree of metamorphism and gas adsorption
pressure, the more significant are the scale effects of gas desorption.
(3) For coal with the same degree of metamorphism, the higher gas
adsorption pressure leads to a larger cumulative total amount of gas
desorbed and a higher desorption rate throughout the desorption process
and a larger proportion of the cumulative amount of gas desorbed in
the initial stage. The smaller the size of the coal sample, the more
obvious the pressure effects of gas desorption are. (4) For coal samples
with the same degree of metamorphism, when the gas content in coal
seams is kept constant, the larger the size of the coal sample, the
smaller the actual gas loss is. Moreover, a higher gas content in
coal seams results in a greater gas loss and a larger calculation
error for gas loss. Compared with the
method,
the power function method reveals
a smaller deviation between the calculated gas loss and the actual
gas loss, which is found to be more accurate. A larger size coal sample
results in higher accuracy in the calculated gas loss.