Spontaneous combustion of coal is a natural phenomenon responsible for the burning of thousands of tonnes of coal every year. Normally, when Indian coal gets exposed to air, it catches fire within 9 to 12 months and the application of inhibitors helps in preserving the coal by enhancing its time period (Incubation period). They have the capacity of retarding the spontaneous heating of coal by forming a protective layer around it. This paper deals with four inhibitors and its retardation capacity to spontaneous heating is laid down by experimental investigation. Crossing Point Temperature (C.P.T) analysis and Flammability Temperature analysis (F.T) are the prime method in determining its retardation effect. Coal samples from Mahanadi Coalfield Limited (MCL) were prepared and used for experimentation. Proximate analysis is used to study the composition of coal. The prepared coal sample is treated with inhibitors at three different proportions of 5%, 10% and 15% by wt. Considering the economic and safety application for miner and mining industry, the maximum retardation capacity of an inhibitor at particular percentage is been shown in this paper.
Effect of Inhibitor in Suppressing Spontaneous Heating of Coal
