Experimental study on the seepage characteristics of bituminous coal under the conditions of liquid nitrogen fracturing

Abstract In coalbed methane (CBM) exploitation, liquid nitrogen (LN2) fracturing has attracted much attention as a promising and effective means to enhance coal seam permeability. Considering the bituminous coal in the Xutuan coal mine of Anhui Province, China, the permeability characteristics of coal samples under different pressure and stress conditions, and a single LN2 treatment and cyclic fracturing conditions were studied. Additionally, an evaluation of the macroscopic cracking behavior of coal was carried out. LN2 treatment can be very effective in promoting the generation of macroscopic fissures in the coal, and the degree of damage increases with the number of fracturing cycles. The results of a single LN2 treatment showed that under a constant confining pressure, the permeability increased exponentially with the increase in gas pressure. The cyclic LN2 treatment showed that permeability first decreased and then increased with increasing gas pressure, which is consistent with the quadratic function distribution. The permeability of the coal sample increases exponentially with the number of cycles, but the growth rate gradually slows down. For the same absolute fracturing time, cyclic fracturing had a better fracturing effect than a single cycle, and the ratio of the permeability increment is 126.3%‐213.8%. The research results provide some guidance for the development of the LN2 freeze fracturing technology.