Characteristics of the gas diffusion in water-bearing coal with different damage degree and its influence mechanism

Abstract

The moisture content and degree of damage in water-bearing coal affect the gas diffusion characteristics in coal, which limits the effect of gas extraction. The experiments were carried out on water-bearing coal with different damage degrees using a self-built coal and gas adsorption–desorption system to study the gas diffusion characteristics of water-bearing coal with varying degrees of damage. The results show that the pore volume of tectonic coal is positively correlated with the degree of damage. The increased moisture content in coal decreases gas desorption performance, embodied in the simultaneous reduction of desorption amount, desorption speed, and diffusion coefficient. Under the same water content condition, the gas desorption amount, gas desorption rate, and gas diffusion coefficient of coal with different damage degrees all show a downward trend, and the decline range is positively correlated with the water content. The relation between the amount of gas desorption, the time, and the moisture content of the water-bearing coal with different damage degrees has been set up. The study results provide a solid theoretical foundation for evaluating and predicting the gas extraction characteristics of coal seams with varying degrees of damage.