Electrical conductivity of coal and coal char

The electrical conductivity of coal, at either 1 kHz or d.c., was measured at 24 °C on samples recovered from pyrolysis experiments aimed at modelling conditions during in situ gasification of coal. From an initial value of 10⁻³ S/m (when the coal is saturated with formation water), the conductivity decreases to 10⁻⁸ S/m when the coal is heated to 110 °C in vacuum. This low value, presumably due to dehydration of the coal, prevails for samples heated as high as 500 °C in dry argon. Samples of char recovered after pyrolysis to 800 °C or more have a conductivity of 10² S/m. Capitalizing on the large contrast between the conductivities of coal and char produced during gasification, electrical probing may be a sensitive tool for monitoring ‘burn-front’ progress during in situ coal gasification.