‘COALCOMB’ an Expert System for Determining the Level of Spontaneous Combustibility in Indian Coals

摘要

Entire Indian coal industry is facing myriad of problems in coal production,storage,handling,transportation and utilisation in various industries,due to frequent occurrencesof spontaneous combustion in coal.Efforts were made globally to classify the coals withrespect to proneness to spontaneous combustibility,but of no avail.No single parameteris sufficient to classify any coal with regard to proneness to fire.For example in JhariaCoalfield (coking coals),approx.62 % fires are reported to be due to spontaneouscombustibility,but these coals are very deficient in moisture,volatile matter and liptinitegroup of macerals.Also the vitrinite reflectance is generally > 0.80 and crossing point >155 °C.It is generally presumed that coals with higher moisture,volatile matter &liptinite,showing vitrinite reflectance less than 0.80 % and crossing point < 140 °C arehighly prone to spontaneous combustion.In the present investigation an effort has been made to take into account approximatelyeighty parameters/factors/indicators related to coal,covered under-physical,chemical,geo-structural,mining,depositional,environmental,accidental and other importantparameters responsible for spontaneous combustibility in Indian coals.Also an effort hasbeen made to observe the responsibility of each parameter in causing the spontaneouscombustion and assign the weightages accordingly.Finally,an expert system namely‘COALCOMB’,using the C-programming language,has been developed recently atCentral Fuel Research Institute.Through this expert system,the coal in undergroundworkings,open cast mines,stacks and transportation can be studied in advance to assesstheir proneness to spontaneous combustibility.This may facilitate the concernedindustries to opt suitable preventive measures to check the mine/coal fires in advance andprobable risk of damage of coal,other associated properties and environmental problemsmay be minimized.