Influence of Coal Properties on Forward Combustion in Laminar Flow

Numerical results are presented for forward combustion in coal channels wherein the flow is laminar. The work is motivated by the need to describe deviations from ideal permeative flow characteristics in theoretical models of underground rubble gasification. For simplicity, the geometry is idealized to a straight circular channel of initially uniform diameter. Coal and inlet gas properties, as well as gas flow rate and initial channel diameter, are arbitrary. A baseline case, in which O₂-steam is injected into a channel in virgin coal, is chosen to match laboratory work reported by other investigators. The results of independent variation of six major parameters are also shown. Finally, representative results are presented for injection of a hot mixture of steam and gasification products into hot char.