Abstract Microwave heating is a promising non-aqueous technology in coal seam enhancement. Recently, it has been considered as an alternative technology to hydraulic fracturing and Enhanced Coal Bed Methane recovery, which may be inapplicable due to environmental and geological restrictions. In this paper, a critical review of microwave heating (MH) applications in coal permeability enhancement is presented. The mechanisms of both microwave heating and microwave-induced permeability enhancement are explained. Most of the experimental studies and numerical simulations in the related area are reviewed. The influencing factors for microwave heating/fracturing effect are then discussed in detail. After discussing the challenges in applying microwave on-site, potential field applications were suggested. As no field application is reported till now, further studies, especially experiments in the field-scale are in badly demand to test its technical and economic feasibility.

中文翻译：

---

微波加热技术提高煤炭渗透率——综述

摘要 微波加热是一种很有前景的煤层强化非水技术。最近，它被认为是水力压裂和强化煤层气回收的替代技术，由于环境和地质限制可能不适用。在本文中，对微波加热 (MH) 在煤渗透率增强中的应用进行了批判性回顾。解释了微波加热和微波诱导渗透率增强的机制。回顾了相关领域的大多数实验研究和数值模拟。然后详细讨论了微波加热/破裂效果的影响因素。在讨论了现场应用微波的挑战后，建议了潜在的现场应用。由于至今未见现场应用报道，