Application of mercury porosimetry to coal

✍ Scribed by Y. Toda; S. Toyoda

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 1972
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 348 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0016-2361
• DOI: 10.1016/0016-2361(72)90080-4

✦ Synopsis

Mercury porosimetry in the pressure range l-1000 atm was applied to a series of coals (72*7-93*2% carbon). Pore volume deduced from mercury penetration was compared with that from density measurement with mercury and n-hexane. It was suggested that the apparent increase of pore volume above the pressure of about 100 atm results only from the compressibility of coal substance; therefore no pores exist in the range of radius from several hundred to 75 a in coal substance. A rectilinear relation was found between the Knoop hardness and the Young's modulus which was calculated from the compressibility deduced from the mercury porosimetry.

The pore structure of a porous material can be studied by adsorption measurements, density measurements, mercury porosimetry and other methods.

Zwietering and van Krevelen' applied mercury porosimetry to a coal of 895% carbon content.

They discussed their findings in relation to results of the nitrogen adsorption method at lower temperature (77 K), and suggested that the apparent increase of pore volume at higher pressures during mercury penetration was due to the compressibility of coal substance.

In the present study, mercury porosimetry is applied to a series of coals for comparison with those of Zwietering and van Krevelen'. The results are also discussed in relation to those of density measurements in n-hexane and mercury, and of Knoop hardness measurements.