We earlier submitted a collection of three research reports, from Japan, which revealed detailed investigations into the upgrading of hydrocarbon liquids derived from coal, into products more akin to the liquid fuels were all familiar with; specifically, kerosene and gasoline.
The same sort of research has been underway much closer to home, but still not in Coal Country, though just as quietly, as the enclosed report, from Oklahoma State University, bears witness.
Comment follows:
"Catalysts for Upgrading Coal-Derived Liquids. Quarterly report, October-December, 1980.
Author: Crynes, B.L.
Report Number: DOE/ET/14876-T1; DOE Contract Number: AC22-79ET14876
Research Organization: Oklahoma State University, School of Chemical Engineering, Stillwater, OK
Abstract:
A linear relationship represents the hydrogenation activity decay of catalysts used in four experimental runs reported previously. The weight percent hydrogen in the reactor product oils plotted against oil-catalyst contact time for experimental runs ZBB, ZBC, ZBD, and ZBE reveals a linear decay rate of 0.0083 wt% hydrogen per hour. This is one quantitative measure of catalyst activity decay. The data for the plot incorporate three different catalysts or combinations used to process a PAMCO liquid at 1500 psig, 435C and LVHST of 2 hours. The data set covers run duration of up to 120 hours of oil-catalyst contact. An air driven hydrogen compressor was installed in the Catalyst Life Test Unit to reduce the costs associated with bottle hydrogen. Minor repairs were made on the oil feed pump. Five experimental runs were made with Shell 324 NiMo/Al catalyst using two feedstocks: (1) 40 wt% EDS/EDS raw solvent and (2) 30 wt% SRC-I creosote oil. The EDS feed oil proved to be rather easily hydrotreated as evidenced by 82 to 100% nitrogen removal, essentially complete desulfurization and no catalyst activity decay during 260 hours of continuous operation. Rapid coking resulted from the highly hydrogen deficient SRC/creosote mixture. The Shell 324 catalyst gave excellent hydrogenation of both liquids by increasing the hydrogen content of the product oils by about 3.8 wt%. This catalyst will be used in future studies; however, a new feedstock consisting of 30 wt% SRC-I/PAMCO process solvent will be assessed for use in catalyst decay mechanism studies."
First of all, this is just one "Quarterly report" for the US Department of Energy's Contract Number AC22-79ET14876: "Catalysts for Upgrading Coal-Derived Liquids". Where are the other quarterly reports? More importantly, where is the "Final Report"?
And: The research is, or was, being conducted in Oklahoma, where they might still have one or two little old scrape-and-shove surface mines that are active. In 1978, the most recent year we could find statistics for, Oklahoma produced about one tenth of one percent of our nation's coal. Might as well be in Japan. It's roughly the same as if the DOE had assigned a research project into the liquefaction of prairie grass, scrub brush and slaughter house renderings to West Virginia University.