The Temperature Field Evolution and Water Migration Law of Coal under Low-Temperature Freezing Conditions

This study examines the evolution law of the coal temperature field under low-temperature freezing conditions. The temperature inside coal samples with different water contents was measured in real-time at several measurement points in different locations inside the sample under the condition of low-temperature medium (liquid nitrogen) freezing. The temperature change curve was then used to analyse the laws of temperature propagation and the movement of the freezing front of the coal, which revealed the mechanism of internal water migration in the coal under low-temperature freezing conditions. The results indicate that the greater the water content of the coal sample, the greater the temperature propagation rate. The reasons for this are the phase change of ice and water inside the coal during the freezing process; the increase in the contact area of the ice and coal matrix caused by the volume expansion; and the joint action of the two. The process of the movement of the freezing front is due to the greater adsorption force of the ice lens than that of the coal matrix. Thus, the water molecules adsorbed in the unfrozen area of the coal matrix migrate towards the freezing front and form a new ice lens. Considering the temperature gradient and water content of the coal samples, Darcy’s permeation equation and water migration equation for the inside of the coal under freezing conditions were derived, and the segregation potential and matrix potential were analysed. The obtained theoretical and experimental results were found to be consistent. The higher the water content of the coal samples, the smaller the matrix potential for the hindrance of water migration. Furthermore, the larger the temperature gradient, the larger the segregation potential, and the faster the water migration rate.