Three links, one above and the others following, are enclosed in this dispatch, and the files two of those links will lead you to are attached as separate documents.
They reveal more, and we think more interesting, information concerning the US Government-sponsored development of "COED" coal liquefaction technology, by FMC Corporation, about which we have lately been reporting.
Note, once again, the involvement of ARCO in this Government-sponsored project to make oil from coal.
ARCO, much like Conoco's absorption of Consol, and all of Consol's CoalTL expertise, developed with US Government support, have found, as you will see, a way to keep their petroleum safe from coal liquids.
With comment interspersed and appended, following are the additional links and excerpts:
"Hydrogenation of COED Coal Oils
Harry E. Jacobs
Atlantic Richfield Company, Harvey, Illinois
J. F. Jones and R. T. Eddinger FMC Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey
Introduction
The Office of Coal Research, Department of the Interior, has sponsored several projects having as one of their objectives, the production of oil from coal. One of these, project COED, conducted by FMC Corporation, produces oil by low temperature pyrolysis of coal. The Atlantic Richfield company, which had been conducting hydrogenation experiments on coal derived oils, was requested by the Office of Coal Research to hydrotreat some COED oils. Accordingly, the following work was carried out by ARC0 in cooperation with FMC.
Raw oils from the COED process have a low hydrogen content and high concentrations of oxygen, nitrogen, and sulf'ur. Hence, hydrotreating is required before the oils can be used in present day petroleum refining processes. In the COED process, the oil product is taken from the reactors as a vapor, leaving the residual ash and char to be withdrawn separately as a fluidized solid. Any entrained solids in the oil vapor are removed by cyclones and by filters. Consequently the COED oil, being virtually solids free, can be hydrotreated in fixed bed reactors.
(There is a lot of technical exposition, the details of which are beyond our scope herein, and, as well beyond our understanding for the most part. However, three different coals, from the Utah, Illinois and Pittsburgh seams were processed. There were slight variations in results for the different coals, but the general results, following, apply to all of them.)
The two reformer stocks above (derived from Coal, remember) are satisfactory reformer feeds after conventional pretreat steps to remove the residual oxygen and nitrogen. The high concentration of ring structures indicates that only a very mild reforming severity is needed to produce a high octane naphtha. The middle distilltes can be used as heating oils, or after oxygen and nitrogen removal, by conventional pretreating, they can be charged to a hydrocracker for additional gasoline production.
The high cycloparaffin content of the hydrogenated COED oils would classify the syncrudes as the naphthenic type. Although the OAPI gravity of these oils may be lower than most crude oils, they contain much less residuum than typical crudes. These hydrogenated COED coal oil syncrudes can be processed in typical petroleum refinery units.
(So, the "reformer stocks", made from Coal, need only "very mild reforming ... to produce a high octane naphtha. The middle distillates can be used as heating oils, or ... by conventional pretreating, they can be charged to a hydrocracker for additional gasoline production." Moreover, "they contain much less residuum than typical crudes (and) can be processed in typical petroleum refinery units.")
Conclusion
The product oils are naphthenic, containing high cycloparaffin concentrations. They contain little residuum and can be processed by conventional petroleum refining methods."
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Note that, here again, echoing earlier reports we've sent you: "The product oils (derived from coal) are naphthenic, containing high cycloparaffin ... (and) ... little residuum and can be processed by conventional petroleum refining methods."
J. J. Johns Associates, Villanova, Pennsylvania John F. Jones and Bert D. McMunn
FMC Corporation, Princeton, New Jersey
Introduction
The COED process converts coal by fluidized-bed pyrolysis into gas, oil and char. Under Project COED, which is sponsored by the Office of Coal Research of the Department of the Interior, a 30 B/D fixed-bed catalytic hydrogenation pilot plant was constructed and operated for the hydrogenation of COED oils. This facility operates with a 36 T/D coal pyrolysis pilot plant. The Central Research.and Development Department of the FMC Corporation conducts this work.
As would be expected, COED oils as produced have a high density and a low hydrogen content. In addition, they have a high concentration of heteroatoms--oxygen, nitrogen and sulfur. Hydrogenation is necessary to produce a synthetic crude oil from the COED oil ... with conventional refinery processing.
The hydrogenation pilot plant was started up in May, 1971 ... . Except for recurrence of several minor mechanical problems, operation has proceeded satisfactorily.
Hydrogenation Results
All of the runs reported in this study were made with a COED oil produced from the pyrolysis of a Colorado coal from the Bear Mine. This is a high-volatile B bituminous coal. .
Unlike most petroleum crudes, there were very few major metallic ingredients in the COED oil.
(So, coal-derived liquids have fewer "major metallic ingredients", contaminants, unlike "most petroleum crudes". Coal liquids are cleaner than petroleum. - JtM)
Treatment with hydrogen over a hydrogenation catalyst effectively removed iron, aluminum and silicon.
Several long-term runs were made on the hydrogenation pilot plant.
A sample of the hydrotreated COED oil ... was distilled into several fractions. These fractions represent the conventional distillation ranges for gasoline, middle distillates, gas oil and bottoms produced in conventional petroleum refining.
(We can make "gasoline", and other products, from coal liquids, as "produced in conventional petroleum refining".)
... the results presented here from the hydrotreating pilot unit tend to confirm the earlier ... AtlanticRichfield studies. They also prove that adequate heteroatom removal in commercial units is possible at modest severities.
From these petroleum-type inspections it can be readily seen that hydrotreated COED oil is a satisfactory crude oil charge to a petroleum refinery. These inspections show that these cuts can be adequately blended into conventionally produced refinery streams. The gasoline and middle distillate stocks exhibit a high gum content. This gum can be virtually eliminated by any number of conventional refinery treating processes.
(So, coal-derived oil "is a satisfactory crude oil charge to a petroleum refinery".)
The middle distillates fraction is somewhat low in gravity, as would be suspected. It would be anticipated, however, that it would be very high on a Btu per volume basis. No attempt was made to evaluate the special properties of such middle distillate fractions as jet fuel, kerosene, diesel fuel or No. 2 fuel. Color and color stability are excellent.
The higher boiling cuts also appear to be adaptable to conventional refining techniques.
The gas oil fraction should make excellent feed for either a catalytic-cracking or hydrocracking unit."
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To sum it all up, Coal liquids, generated by the COED process, "can be processed by conventional petroleum refining methods... and ... can be adequately blended into conventionally produced refinery streams". Moreover, even the "higher boiling cuts also appear to be adaptable to conventional refining techniques".
But, note this quote from opening lines in the first excerpt of this dispatch: "The Office of Coal Research, Department of the Interior ... sponsored ... project COED, conducted by FMC Corporation... . The Atlantic Richfield company, which had been conducting hydrogenation experiments on coal derived oils, was requested by the Office of Coal Research to hydrotreat some COED oils ... ."
And, hydrotreat those oils, ARCO did. As a result of their work on coal-derived oil, ARCO filed for and received a United States Patent on technology for refining coal liquids. A patent which they, predictably, have declined to reduce to commercial practice. As follows:
Date: March, 1970; US Patent 3503867; Filed March 1968
Patent Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Co.
Abstract: Liquid hydrocarbons are prepared from coal by low-temperature carbonization of dried pulverized coal and hydrotreating the coal tar components. The process comprises converting the more valuable carbonaceous components to liquid hydrocarbons, feeding the hydrocarbons and naphtha, tar, and middle oil components to a hydrocracking step, vacuum distilling the heavier components from the hydrocracking step, and recycling the solid and low-volatility components to the carbonizer. The volatile components from the vacuum distillation are hydrotreated, and the more volatile components from the hydrocracking step are combined."
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Arguably, ARCO developed their patented technology to produce "Synthetic crude oil from coal" in the course of work paid for by the US Government, by us, to establish refining technology for the COED coal liquids produced by FMC in New Jersey.
