Effects of gaseous and super-critical carbon dioxide saturation on the mechanical properties of bituminous coal from the Southern Sydney Basin

Abstract

A study was initiated to investigate the effects of gaseous and super-critical carbon dioxide (CO2) adsorption on bituminous coal strength. Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) experiments were conducted on bituminous coal samples from the southern Sydney Basin saturated with gaseous CO2, super-critical CO2 and N2 at various pressures, and a temperature 33°C. According to the results, gaseous CO2 adsorption causes the UCS and Young's modulus of the bituminous coal to be reduced by up to 53% and 36%, respectively. Super-critical CO2 adsorption causes more significant modifications to the mechanical properties of the bituminous coal, resulting in 40% greater UCS strength reduction and 100% grea..