We present herein three reports, presented sequentially, months apart, detailing a coal liquefaction technology improvement invented, or further developed, by what we believe to be Consol coal scientists, perhaps working in concert with US Government energy researchers, under a US DOE Contract.
Consol, isn't mentioned by name in these several samples of the literature that is web-available concerning the "The zinc chloride process for the hydrocracking of coal"; but, Consol were acquired by Consolidation Oil, i.e., Conoco, in the 1960's; and, it is a Consol coal lab that is referred to in the second report, following "Conoco Zinc Chloride Hydrocracking Process".
There is a body of research available on the inter net concerning the Zinc Chloride Process, and it is, in some of the references, called a "One Step" process, thus our headline.
Note that six months after the first of our examples, a report of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's research into the Zinc Chloride Process, made at a coal conversion conference in Maryland, was published; a second report was issued, in an international "energy" publication, and Shell Oil had become involved.
With that overseas collaboration of petroleum company majors, Consol's Zinc Chloride Coal Liquefaction Process, developed, at least in part, with USDOE, and thus US taxpayer, money, seems to begin to evaporate; although we did find a third report, delivered at what we are forced to describe as an obscure chemical industry conference, in London. We include it, herein, as well.
An excerpt from the above link, with additional links and excerpts following:
"Title: Materials for Conoco Zinc Chloride Hydrocracking Process
Author: Baylor, V.B.; Keiser, J.R.; DeVan, J.H.
Publication Date: January 1, 1980
Report Number: Conf-801079-2
DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-26
Resource: Annual Conference On Materials for Coal Conversion; Gaithersburg, MD, 6 Oct. 1980
Abstract:
Use of zinc chloride to augment hydrogenation of coal and yield a high-octane gasoline product is the most significant feature of a coal liquefaction process being developed by Conoco Coal Development Company. The zinc chloride catalyst is regenerated in a fluidized sand bed, where the spent melt is mixed with air and hydrogen chloride at about 1000/sup 0/C. Recovery is completed at 370/sup 0/C in a condenser, where the zinc chloride is collected and the oxygen and sulfur are separated as H/sub 2/O and SO/sub 2/. The economic viability of the entire process is highly dependent on almost complete recovery of the zinc chloride. The severe environmental conditions of this recovery process cause unique materials problems. Although high-temperature oxidation and sulfidation are being studied in related programs, suitable materials to resist their combined effects along with those of chlorides have not yet been specifically addressed. Common engineering materials, such as the austenitic stainless steels and many nickel-base alloys, are unsuitable because of their inability to tolerate the elevated temperatures and sulfidation, respectively. The objectives of this task are to screen various metallic and ceramic materials for resistance to the zinc chloride recovery system environment and to determine the nature of the attack by exposing coupons to the simulated environment in the laboratory."
As follows:
"Title: The Zinc Chloride Process for the Hydrocracking of Coal
Author(s): Biasca, F.E.; Greene, C.R.; Clark, W.E.; Struck, R.T.
Affiliation: Shell Development Co.; Conoco Coal Development Co.
Publication: International Journal of Energy Research, June 1980
Abstract:
The molten zinc chloride process is a hydrocracking system that converts coal to gasoline in a single step. An economically attractive process is currently under development at the one ton per day process development unit scale. The design and economics of a plant for the production of 53,000 bbl/day of gasoline with 90-92 unleaded research octane number from Western coals are discussed."
Then, nearly a year later, at yet another coal-to-liquid conversion conference, held, not in US Coal Country, but in what can only be described as relative obscurity, in London, at a meeting sponsored by the chemical industry, more encouraging developments of the Zinc Chloride coal liquefaction technology were presented.
As follows:
"Hydrocracking of coal to light distillate with molten zinc chloride
Conoco Coal Development Company, Research Division, Library, Pennsylvania 15129, USA
Presented at the Conference: ‘Industrial Conversion of Coal and Carbon to Gas, Liquid and High-Value Solid Products’, organized by the Industrial Carbon and Graphite Group of the Society of Chemical Industry, and held at the Society of Chemical Industry, 14, Belgrave Square, London SW1 8PS, UK, 7–9 April 1981.
Abstract:
Molten zinc chloride has the ability to rapidly hydrocrack coals, producing largely gasoline with a high octane number, and to remove nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur impurities, resulting in liquid products with 10 to 100 times less nitrogen and sulphur than corresponding fractions from other direct coal liquefaction processes. The process minimizes or eliminates toxic compounds owing to elimination of nitrogen bearing species and polynuclear aromatics, and produces gasoline at an estimated cost which is among the lowest for any direct coal liquefaction process. The paper summarizes a five-year process development in continuous units up to 1 t day, and suggests further development needed to reach commercial scale."
So, in 1981, a petroleum major knew, as a result of "a five-year process development" that we could "rapidly hydrocrack coals" to produce "gasoline with a high octane number", and, at the same time, "remove nitrogen, oxygen and sulphur impurities".