ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses reaction kinetics of coal gasification in context of the underground coal gasification process. It also discusses the kinetics of important heterogeneous reactions and pyrolysis of coal. The chapter highlights the importance of the associated diffusion effects to model them with reasonably good accuracy. The equipment used for determining coal-gas reaction kinetics includes, but is not limited to, thermogravimetric analysis, fixed bed reactor, drop tube furnace reactor, fluidized bed reactor, wire mesh reactor, and boat reactor. The reaction rate is a strong function of how the char is prepared, and hence an identical procedure of char preparation, described in the following may be followed for experiments to determine reaction kinetics. Different models have been reported to explain the kinetics of coal gasification. In addition to the standard random pore model or volumetric reaction model, the Langmuir-Hinshelwood formulation has also been used to explain coal gasification data and to determine the kinetics of gasification.
