Investigation of W-band dielectric constant of coals by free space method

The dielectric constant of Shandong anthracite coals of China was studied in the frequency range of 75 similar to 110 GHz (W-band), using the free space method for the first time. The measurement system is based on the Vector Network Analyzer of Agilent Technology and a VDI extension module with frequency range from 75 GHz to 110GHz. The dielectric constants of coals were calculated from the scattering parameters by implementing an algorithm. Correctness of the test results is verified by measuring the dielectric constant of air and timber. The dielectric constant of each selected coal with different moisture contents is investigated. It is found that both the real and imaginary parts of selected coals exhibit an apparent increasing trend with increasing water content of coals. The real part of coals with different water content varies from 2.61 to 4.97, and the imaginary part from 0.06 to 0.41 at the frequency of 110 GHz. We also obtained the diversification of the dielectric constant by increasing the frequency at the W-band. The real part of coals with different frequency varies from 3.85 to 3.91, and the imaginary part from 0.32 to 0.37 at W-band.