Helium-volume dynamics of Upper Freeport coal powder and lumps

Exposure to 7 MPa of helium at room temperature alters the texture of Upper Freeport coal in a lump form. The differences in texture and porosity between coal powder and lumps may affect the transport and interaction of fluids and coal. In this work, the information about the coal texture and micro- and meso-porosity was obtained via the BET, BJH, and Dubinin–Astakhov analyses. We further investigated the free-fluid-phase volume (free-volume) effects due to helium interaction with the powder and the lumps. During the manometric experiment, helium penetration into the dry coal matrix resulted in slow relaxation of pressure. After exposure of coal to helium, there have been no significant changes of the macroscopic dimensions observed and the relaxation process can be attributed to microscopic ‘free-volume’ effects. Evolution of the sorption–desorption rates indicates that exposure to helium may change the texture and apparent (helium) density of dry coal.