Enough was known about at least two methods of converting coal into liquid fuels a quarter-century ago, that a New York engineering firm was able to evaluate and report on them in detail.
Some specifics:
Title: H-Coal and coal-to-methanol liquefaction processes: process engineering evaluation. Final report
Author(s): Paul, E.V.; Dharia, D.J.; Fay, S.J.
Date: November, 1983.
Report Numbers: EPRI-AP-3290; DE84920138
Research Organization: Stone and Webster Engineering Corp., New York
Abstract: This report presents the results of a technical and economic evaluation of the H-Coal process and the coal-to-methanol process for the production of liquid fuels from coal. Evaluations are based on capital cost estimates, in mid-1982 dollars, for commercial size, self-contained plants with a nominal liquid product capacity of 50,000 fuel oil equivalent (FOE) bbl/sd (FOE bbl = 5.85 x 10/sup 6/ Btu). Product selling prices, in dollars per million Btu, are calculated for both nonregulated and regulated (utility) producers. The H-Coal process, developed by Hydrocarbon Research, Inc., is used in this study to produce hydrocarbon liquid from either Illinois No. 6 bituminous or Wyodak subbituminous coal. The primary fuel products include gasoline, turbine fuel, and distillate fuel oil. A substantial amount of LPG is produced only in the Illinois coal case. Hydrogen is produced by gasifying vacuum bottoms using Texaco technology in both cases. However, in the Wyodak case, supplemental hydrogen is required and this is produced by reforming product gas. Electric power is produced from combined-cycle gas turbines fired by process derived fuel gas. Fuel grade methanol is produced from Illinois No. 6 coal using Texaco coal gasification to provide synthesis gas to Lurgi methanol synthesis. Steam derived from the process is used to generate the electric power requirements. Product selling prices of liquid fuel products in mid-1982 dollars were found to range from 9.06 to 10.94 $/10/sup 6/ Btu for a nonregulated producer and 5.66 to 6.88 $/10/sup 6/ Btu for a regulated (utility) producer. The sensitivity of the product price to various factors, as well as approaches to accomplish early commercialization, are examined and discussed. 385 Pages. Availability: Electric Power Research Institute, 3412 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94304."
Neither the "H-Coal" nor the "coal-to-methanol" coal liquefaction technologies should be mysteries to our readers. We have reported on both of them to the point of tedium.
What should be a mystery to everyone, though, is how it came to pass that a New York City engineering firm was selected to study the economics of multiple coal liquefaction technologies, and directed to archive their findings at a California research institute, more than two decades ago, and no one in US Coal Country has so far been privileged to be informed about any of it.
The circumstances beggar further comment from us.
They should beggar the belief of everyone in US Coal Country; and, of every US citizen genuinely concerned with the security and economic health of the United States of America.