Study on the effect of composite hydrogel inhibitors on the heat release characteristics of coal oxidation

Abstract To study the effect of composite hydrogel inhibitors (CHIs) on the exothermic oxidative properties of coal spontaneous combustion, a polymer composite containing various components was developed, configured into different concentrations and used to treat coal samples. The water loss rate of CHIs was tested, and the experimental study was carried out by a C600 microcalorimeter to analyze the inhibitory effect of CHIs on the oxidative exothermic process of coal spontaneous combustion and its inhibitory mechanism. The study showed that the water retention of CHIs improved and then worsened with increasing CHI concentration under a continuous high-temperature environment. Under the same programmed heating conditions, the heat absorption capacity of CHI-treated coal became stronger and the exothermic capacity became weaker compared with the raw coal. The inhibitory effect of CHI on the exothermic oxidative process of spontaneous coal combustion increased and then decreased with increasing CHI concentration. The results of coal-oxygen composite reaction kinetic analysis show that CHI can increase the activation energy of coal and increase the difficulty of the exothermic reaction of coal oxidation. Analysis of the mechanism of CHI inhibiting coal spontaneous combustion has found that CHI can provide a stable and efficient inhibitory effect on coal spontaneous combustion in various physical and chemical aspects.