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Geoscience ›› 2025, Vol. 39 ›› Issue (03): 839-855.DOI: 10.19657/j.geoscience.1000-8527.2024.013

• Energy Geology and Engineering • Previous Articles    

Construction and Comparison of Macromolecular Models of Different Coal Rank Coals

ZHANG Chen1,2,3(), ZHANG Songhang1,2,3,*(), TANG Shuheng1,2,3, ZHANG Shouren4, LI Zhe5, FAN Zhihui4   

  1. 1. School of Energy, China University of Geosciences(Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
    2. MOE Key Lab of Marine Reservoir Evolution and Enrichment Mechanism, Beijing 100083, China
    3. Beijing Key Lab of Unconventional Natural Gas Geological Evaluation and Development Engineering, Beijing 100083, China
    4. China United Coalbed Methane Corp, Ltd., Beijing 100016, China
    5. XDEC Mudlogging Branch Company(Geological Research Institute)in CNPC., Xinjiang Karamay 834099, China
  • Online:2025-06-10 Published:2025-07-03
  • Contact: ZHANG Songhang

Abstract:

The construction of coal macromolecular model is of fundamental significance for studying the physical and chemical properties and efficient utilization of coal. However, there is still a lack of construction and comparison of macromolecular models reflecting the properties of different rank coals. Therefore, this study used industrial analysis and elemental analysis, as well as nuclear magnetic resonance carbon spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and other test methods, combined with previous data, constructed and collected Hequ coal, Xiaoyi coal, Dianping coal, Gaoyang coal, Yangquan coal, Zhaozhuang coal and other 13 different coal rank coal macromolecular model sequences across lignite to anthracite (Ro=0.46%-3.21%). The macromolecular structure parameters of coal show that the aromatic carbon rate in aromatic structure increases in three stages with the increase of coal rank. The bridged aromatic carbon and bridged aromatic carbon increase linearly, and the side-branched aromatic carbon and oxygenated aromatic carbon decrease rapidly before the first jump point of coal metamorphism. The lipid carbon ratio in the fat structure is opposite to the aromatic carbon ratio, showing a three-stage decreasing trend. The methyl carbon increases before the first jump point and finally decreases; The fluctuation of methylene carbon corresponds to the three coalification jumps; the change rule of oxygenated fat carbon is not obvious. The content of oxygen-containing functional groups decreases with the increase of coal rank. The decrease of van der Waals energy and bond stretching energy plays a leading role in molecular stability, and hydrogen bond energy only plays a role in low rank(lignite) and medium coal(long flame coal, gas coal) and between molecules. The total energy of multi-molecules in low and medium rank coal(lignite to lean coal) is lower than that of equivalent single molecules, while the energy of multi-molecules in high-rank coal(lean coal and anthracite) is higher than that of equivalent single molecules due to π-π interaction. In general, the macromolecular model sequence established in this paper reflects the law of coal metamorphism and reveals the energy composition of coal molecules. The research results are expected to provide basic coal molecular configuration for further coal macromolecular simulation work.

Key words: coal, molecular model, functional group, energy configuration, coal rank

CLC Number: