Maturity control on the patterns of hydrocarbon regeneration from coal

Rock-Eval pyrolysis and Py-GC experiments on naturally and artificially mat ured coal samples were carried out. The results suggest that both depolymer ization and defunctionalization exist during the maturation and evolution o f coal. The patterns of hydrocarbon regeneration are diverse at different s tages of the maturation and evolution. When the vitrinite reflectance (R-0) is 0.7%-0.9%, bitumen is the richest in coal while activation energy is th e minimum, and the temperature of peak yield is lower than that of primary hydrocarbon generation. However, if reflectance is greater than 0.9%, defun ctionalization predominates and the temperature of peak regeneration is sho wn in lagging compared with the primary hydrocarbon generation. When reflec tance is out of the "oil window", the peak temperature of hydrocarbon regen eration and that of the primary hydrocarbon generation seems to be continuo us.