Some aspects of structural transformations taking place in organic mass of Ukrainian coals during heating. Part 1. Study of structural transformations when heating coals of different caking capacity

Using the quantitative X-ray phase analysis an ordered phase amount (Ccryst) was found in solid residues of carbonization and the parameters d002, Lc and La were determined. It is shown that the gas-saturated zone is generated in the plastic layer only when structural transformations in coals take place at the pre-plastic stage without changing the ratio between the number of carbon atoms in the ordered and non-ordered phases. The transition of well caking coal into the plastic state is accompanied by the activation of segmental and conformal movement of side chains and separate macromolecular fragments of the coal organic mass. In the course of grain swelling of non-caking coal its crystallites degrade. The conclusions drawn on the basis of X-ray studies were confirmed by the EPR-spectroscopy of residues corresponding to plastic zones in coals of different caking capacity.