Importance of the average radius of coal particles on determining the methane diffusion coefficient

The average radius of coal particles is an estimate of the diffusion path in the particle method for determining the diffusion coefficient. It is currently calculated using the arithmetic mean of coal particle sieved intervals. This calculation, however, ignores the coal particle size distribution, resulting in significant deviations when calculating the gas diffusion coefficient. An appropriate average radius calculation method should consider the particle size distribution and the physical essence of diffusion. To accomplish this, a series of methods for calculating the mean particle diameters and their physical significance were reviewed. Next, coal samples were sieved into three intervals, and gas diffusion tests and laser particle size distribution were conducted. Results show that coal particles are within the sieving interval, ranging from 42.01 to 76.18%. By solving the diffusion coefficients using four mean particle diameters based on particle size distribution and diffusive mass transfer, the difference between the arithmetic mean value and these diameters is up to 89.06%. [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] are preferred for the calculation of the average radius since they are compatible with coal particle shape and the physical meaning of diffusive mass transfer.