Kinetic and equilibrium measurements of coal drying

The retention, attachment, and release of water (sorption, adsorption, and desorption) in Fruitland subbituminous coal are shown to be very complex phenomena. The vapor pressure and thermodynamic activity of water in the coal at about 315 K vary sharply with composition. Removal of 60% of the water initially present reduces the vapor pressure by about 60%. The total moisture content of saturated coal also varies with temperature. A 10 K rise in temperature reduces the sorbed water by about 8%. There is strong hysteresis in the sorption behavior; water which is desorbed by reducing the vapor pressure over a coal sample is not fully replaced by adsorption when the vapor pressure is returned to its original level. These measurements of desorption and adsorption reflect stable and metastable equilibria. Kinetic measurements are reported for approach to a new equilibrium if the vapor pressure over the coal is reduced. The kinetic measurements reflect the shape of the pores while equilibrium vapor pressures reflect how tightly the water is bound in the pores. Both types of measurement show changes in behavior at the same compositions. Implications of these results for UCG are discussed