Application of thermal analysis techniques to assess proneness of coal to spontaneous heating

The paper presents the review of application of three thermal techniques viz; differential thermal analysis (DTA), thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC); for studying the susceptibility of coal to spontaneous heating and fire. It also critically analyses the experimental standards adopted by different researchers, while applying these techniques in studying thermal behaviour of coal samples. The paper also presents the future direction of research in this subject area.