Effect of heating rate on structural changes of heat-treated coals

For high-caking Goonyella and low-caking Witbank coals, dynamic viscoelasti city was measured at heating rates of 3-80 degreesC/min, An increase in hea ting rate shifted the temperature which gives the maximum fusibility to hig her temperature, Structural analyses (solvent extraction ultimate analysis and FT-IR measurement) for the heat-treated coals showed that the temperatu re which the extraction yields, H/C atomic ratio and aromaticity greatly ch ange also shifted to higher temperature by increasing heating rate, while ( O+S)/C atomic ratio was not influenced by the heating rate so much, The enh anced fusibility by an increase in heating rate can be the result of decrea se in possibility of cross-linking related to oxygen and sulfur functionali ties.