In this work, we revised our previous fully coupled model of coal deformation, methane diffusion from matrix and compositional gas flow in fractures, and thermal transport to investigate coal self-heating processes in underground methane-rich coal seams. The coal self-heating in underground coal seams involves a chain of physico-chemical reactions, which are linked together through compositional gas flow and diffusion, reaction kinetics, energy transport and coal deformation mechanisms. Although coal–oxygen reactions have been comprehensively investigated, fewer studies consider the collective impacts of methane desorption induced coal deformation and compositional gas concentration changes on the methane-rich coal self-heating. We included these self-heating mechanisms of underground methane-rich coal seams in the revised model.