Spontaneous heating of coal is a major problem worldwide and has been a great concern due to its potential to destroy precious coal resources and cause fire accidents in coal mines. Majority of fires occurring in different coalfields are started by spontaneous combustion of coal. The auto oxidation of coal gives rise to spontaneous combustion which is the major root cause for the disastrous fire in coal mines. So, extensive research work is being done to characterize the nature and causes of spontaneous heating to prevent its occurrence. Since, coal is a sedimentary rock its properties vary widely from place to place. So, coal samples from individual seams need to be tested discretely to determine liability towards spontaneous heating. In this project, different properties of coal obtained from coal mines under Central Coalfields Limited (CCL) have been evaluated based on: proximate and ultimate analysis, calorific value, FT-IR spectroscopy and DTA. The data obtained was used to compare characteristics of different seams with respect to their tendency towards spontaneous heating susceptibility. From the experimental investigations, it was found that, in general the CCL coals have high ash content, low in moisture ( below 2 %), and have higher calorific value. The CHNS analysis showed that the sulphur content of the coals is less than 1% in all the cases.Among organic compounds alkane was found to be the most abundant functional group. The transition temperature was highest at 213.28 C for seam 2 of Sarubera and was found to be 153.09 C at its lowest value for seam 8 of Pindra open cast. So, seam 2 of Sarubera is least susceptible whereas seam 8 of Pindra open cast mine is most susceptible to spontaneous heating.
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