ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Earth Sci.
Sec. Georeservoirs
Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feart.2025.1671000
Study on Pyrolysis Characteristics of Oil-Rich Coal under In-Situ Conditions and Industrial-Scale Extraction Simulation
Provisionally accepted
Xiao Li1*
Ying Tang1Youwu Li1Fan Yang1Xiaodan Wu1Jingyao Sun1Jingyun Cui1Qing Zhang1Siqi Yuan1Zhiqin Kang2- 1CNOOC Key Laboratory of Liquefied Natural Gas and Low-carbon Technology, Beijing, China
- 2Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China
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In-situ pyrolysis technology for oil-rich coal represents a low-carbon resource development strategy characterized by 'hydrogen extraction and carbon retention,' holding significant importance for advancing the efficient exploitation of coal-based oil and gas resources. However, substantial differences exist between in-situ pyrolysis and conventional pyrolysis in terms of conversion efficiency and product composition, making the control of operating conditions a critical challenge in this field. This study utilized large-sized block oil-rich coal samples from the Xie Gou mining area in Shanxi Province. Employing a self-developed, fully enclosed pyrolysis experimental system, the research simulated the high-temperature, high-pressure, slow-heatingrate, and long-duration reaction environment typical of in-situ pyrolysis. The distribution patterns of gaseous, liquid, and solid pyrolysis products from the oil-rich coal under varying temperatures were systematically investigated.Building upon the experimental results, industrialscale simulations of oil-rich coal in-situ pyrolysis were conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The key findings are as follows: (1) The primary gaseous product of the pyrolysis reaction is CH4, with the total gas yield increasing significantly as temperature rises; (2) The temperature window of 450°C to 550°C offers the potential for maximizing light oil recovery; (3) The stability of the carbon skeleton within the oil-rich coal enhances progressively as the pyrolysis reaction proceeds; (4) For industrial ap-plication, optimal oil production is achieved within approximately 500 days of heating, while optimal gas production occurs around 1900 days of heating. This study provides crucial theoretical support for the industrialization of oil-rich coal in-situ pyrolysis and demonstrates considerable application potential for the extraction of high value oil and gas fuels.
Keywords: In-situ pyrolysis, Three-phase products, Oil-rich coal, Closed system, numerical simulation
Received: 22 Jul 2025; Accepted: 14 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Tang, Li, Yang, Wu, Sun, Cui, Zhang, Yuan and Kang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xiao Li, CNOOC Key Laboratory of Liquefied Natural Gas and Low-carbon Technology, Beijing, China
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