Chapter 4
Spontaneous Combustion of Coal
4.1 Introduction
This is another aspect of Permian Gondwana coal that is rarely given significant
attention in books about coal, although numerous short scientific papers dealt in the
past and the present with the subject. Is it a phenomenon resulting from the Gondwana
Permian vegetation that makes up the bulk of the coal? Does the Glossopteris flora
diagenetic transformation render it to produce more bituminous substances than other
vegetation? There are many questions regarding the break down and diagenesis of
this specific flora dominating the Permian of Gondwana which are not known.
Spontaneous combustion is a major hazard in coal deposits both underground and
above ground in stock piles. It is a potential danger during mining when followed by
explosions.
Many questions are posed; such as what is meant by and actually takes place
during spontaneous combustion of coal. What causes this phenomenon and why are
Permian coals of Gondwana particularly prone?
Spontaneous combustion in coal piles, in exposed coal seams are a common
occurring phenomenon and do not pose life-threatening incidences.
The crucial question that has not been precisely answered to this day is what
is the source of the methane that suddenly appears in an underground coal mine
and causes catastrophic explosions? This chapter will explain the causes for the
generation of methane in underground mines and the explosions that follow. This
knowledge has been used to construct a model predicting the susceptibility of a coal
to this happening, and thus avoiding the loss of lives.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
M. Glikson-Simpson, Coal—A Window to Past Climate and Vegetation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44472-3_4
113
Spontaneous Combustion of Coal
4.1 Introduction
This is another aspect of Permian Gondwana coal that is rarely given significant
attention in books about coal, although numerous short scientific papers dealt in the
past and the present with the subject. Is it a phenomenon resulting from the Gondwana
Permian vegetation that makes up the bulk of the coal? Does the Glossopteris flora
diagenetic transformation render it to produce more bituminous substances than other
vegetation? There are many questions regarding the break down and diagenesis of
this specific flora dominating the Permian of Gondwana which are not known.
Spontaneous combustion is a major hazard in coal deposits both underground and
above ground in stock piles. It is a potential danger during mining when followed by
explosions.
Many questions are posed; such as what is meant by and actually takes place
during spontaneous combustion of coal. What causes this phenomenon and why are
Permian coals of Gondwana particularly prone?
Spontaneous combustion in coal piles, in exposed coal seams are a common
occurring phenomenon and do not pose life-threatening incidences.
The crucial question that has not been precisely answered to this day is what
is the source of the methane that suddenly appears in an underground coal mine
and causes catastrophic explosions? This chapter will explain the causes for the
generation of methane in underground mines and the explosions that follow. This
knowledge has been used to construct a model predicting the susceptibility of a coal
to this happening, and thus avoiding the loss of lives.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
M. Glikson-Simpson, Coal—A Window to Past Climate and Vegetation,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-44472-3_4
113