Chapter One General Introduction 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Coal sorption characteristics 1.3 Gas drainage in hard-to-drain seams 1.4 Statement of the problem 1.5 Objectives of research 1.6 Book outline Chapter Two Gas Generation, Storage and Flow Mechanism in Coal in Relation to Gas Drainage 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Gas generation and storage 2.3 Physical structure of coal 2.4 Gas transport in coal 2.5 Gas drainage from coal 2.6 Summary Chapter Three Gas Sorption Isotherm Test of Coal 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Isotherm testing apparatus and calculation method 3.3 Uncertainties in recording sorption isotherm 3.4 Comparison of different methods 3.5 Comparison between different laboratories 3.6 Coal sorption isotherm testing in University of Wollongong 3.7 Summary Chapter Four Factors Influencing Sorption Characteristics and Surface Free Energy of Coal 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Experimental set up and sample preparation 4.3 Influence of temperature on coal adsorption isotherms 4.4 Influence of moisture on coal adsorption isotherms 4.5 Influences of coal particle size on coal adsorption and desorption isotherms 4.6 Coal surface free energy theory 4.7 Summary Chapter Five Study of Geological Variation and Coal Microstructure 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Geological variation 5.3 Coal microstructure study 5.4 Summary Chapter Six Drainability Assessment of the Bulli Seam at Metropolitan Colliery 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Coal permeability 6.3 Coal sorption capacity 6.4 Study of gas content and gas composition 6.5 Summary Chapter Seven Gas Injection to Flush Coal Seam Gas 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Hard-to-drain seams 7.3 Study of gas injection to flush coal seam gas 7.4 Laboratory test of injection with multi function outburst research rig 7.5 Injection of N2 to flush CO2 7.6 Injection of N2 to flush CH4 7.7 Comparison of N2 to flush CO2 and CH4
7.8 Summary Chapter Eight Conclusions and Recommendations 8.1 Conclusions 8.2 Recommendations Appendices Appendix A: Langmuir equation Appendix B: Soave-redlich-kwong equation of state Appendix C: Coal soprtion isotherm calculation with srk equation method Appendix D: Coal soprtion isotherm calculation with calibration cureve method Appendix E: Coal permeability test result with mforr Appendix F: Coal permeability test result with triaxial compression apparatus Appendix G: Comparison of adsorption isotherms (hard-to-drain and easy-to-drain areas) Appendix H: Summary of gas content and gas composition data (whole database-pass samples) Appendix I: Summary of gas content and gas composition data (whole database-fail samples) Appendix J: Summary, of gas content and gas composition data (hard-to-drain database) References