Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #6741632
We were able to pick up the trail of this coal liquefaction development project, sponsored and supervised by our United States Department of Energy, and undertaken for the DOE by Penn State University, about midway through the course of the project. Although some of the researchers involved are the same, and the topic, improving the technology of coal-to-liquid conversion, is the same, as in our earlier report of Penn State's Coal Conversion Contract with the USDOE, Number AC22-83PC60050, this seems to be a different research effort, with different parameters and different reportage, conducted under a different contract.
In the case of this contract, we have been able to locate some, but only some, of the reports made by Penn State to the DOE. We will include all those we've so far been able to track down, sequentially, in this dispatch.
The first excerpt is from the link above. Other links and excerpts follow below.
We see no need to interject comment. The implications of the narrative outlined by the reports should, and will we trust, be obvious. Some comment is appended:
"Title: Enhanced coal liquefaction by low-severity catalytic reactions: Technical progress report for the period December 1986 to February 1987.
Author(s): Davis, A.; Derbyshire, F.J.; Schobert, H.H.
Publication date: March, 1987
Report Number: DOE/PC/90910-2; DOE Contract Number: FG22-86PC90910
Research Organization: Pennsylvania State University; Coal Research Section
Abstract: The objective of this investigation is to examine the potential and limitations of temperature-staged catalytic liquefaction. Experiments have been planned to examine the chemical reactions which occur during the low- and high-severity stages, the effects of coal rank and process conditions, the function of catalyst and influence of solvent donor capability. Initial experiments have been conducted using a lignite, subbituminous B, hvC and hvA bituminous coals. Experimental conditions were varied by using separate single low and high severity stages and a two-stage liquefaction sequence. Although no catalyst or solvent were used in these experiments, the atmosphere was systematically changed, using either hydrogen or nitrogen. From the low-severity single-stage reations (275/sup 0/C) it appears that the atmosphere has negligible effects on the product distributions. Reaction variables had a greater influence in the single-stage high severity (425/sup 0/C) runs and a temperature sequence, the highest conversions being obtained in the latter. As expected, the presence of nitrogen in either the high-severity single- or two-stage reactions significantly lowered the percentage conversions when compared to the presence of H/sub 2/ atmosphere in otherwise similar runs. Eleven model compounds, representing structures which could exist in coal, were hydrogenated either in the presence or absence of a molybdenum sulfide catalyst. Reaction products were analyzed by gas chromatography and characterized by the number of fragments that differ in boiling point relative to unreacted material. It was found that, under the reaction conditions employed, the catalyst can be effective in hydrogenating condensed aromatics, cleaving certain bridging linkages, and stabilizing other bond types. 51 Pages.
Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #5994913
Title: Enhanced coal liquefaction by low-severity catalytic reactions: Technical progress report for the period June, 1987 to August 1987.
Author(s): Davis, A.; Derbyshire, F.J.; Schobert, H.H.
Publication date: September, 1987
Report Number: DOE/PC/90910-4; DOE Contract Number: FG22-86PC90910
Research Organization: Pennsylvania State University
Abstract: The objective of this investigation is to examine the potential andlimitations of temperature-staged catalytic liquefaction. Experiments have been planned to examine the chemical reactions which occur during the low- and high-severity stages, the effects of coal rank and process conditions, the function of catalyst and influence of solvent donor capability. A bituminous coal and a lignite were subjected to temperature-staged liquefaction in the presence or model compound solvents and a recycle-solvent. Reactions were conducted in the absence and presence of a molybdenum catalyst using either hydrogen or nitrogen atmospheres. It was found that the catalyst, in general, promoted total conversion under hydrogen, but in the dihydrophenanthrene + catalyst + hydrogen system the catalyst significantly reduced the yield of oil. Evidence suggests that the catalyst interacts in a complicated way with both the reaction atmosphere and solvent.
Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #5220289
Title: Enhanced coal liquefaction by low-severity catalytic reactions: Technical progress report for the period September 1987 to February 1988
Author(s): Davis, A.; Derbyshire, F.J.; Schobert, H.H.
Publication date: March, 1988
Report Number: DOE/PC/90910-5; DOE Contract Number: FG22-86PC90910
Research Organization: Pennsylvania State University
Abstract: Work has involved attempts to ascertain the mode of hydrogen transfer in the disproportionation of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene (DHN) in the presence of two forms of molybdenum sulfide catalyst. Reaction of the ammonium tetrathiomolybdate catalyst under a range of tubing-bomb conditions results in the formation of residues that are deficient in sulfur and composed of multiple phases. Reflected-light microscopy was used to distinguish three separate and distinct residue components (Phases I, II, III) and at least two transitional materials. Preliminary results suggest that reaction and temperature and atmosphere (nitrogen or hydrogen) have separate effects on the distribution of each component of the residues. Experiments were conducted to compare the effects of Fe and Fe/Mo catalyst on the liquefaction response of an hvCb coal. In the temperature-staged runs there was a significant improvement in oil yields and product distribution when Fe/Mo was used instead of Fe. The characteristics of liquefaction residues produced in response to varying process conditions (catalyst, solvent, atmosphere, temperature staging and coal rank and petrographic composition) are summarized. Reflectograms of the whole products of liquefaction tend to show a bimodal distribution. 50 pages.
Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #6988162
Title: Enhanced coal liquefaction by low-severity catalytic reactions: Technical progress report for the period March 1988 to May 1988
Author(s): Davis, A.; Derbyshire, F.J.; Schobert, H.H.
Publication date: June, 1988
Report Number: DOE/PC/90910-6; DOE Contract Number: FG22-86PC90910
Research Organization: Pennsylvania State University
Abstract: Impregnated Mo, Fe, or Fe + Mo catalysts were used to liquefy an hvC bituminous coal (PSOC-1948) in the presence and absence of a low-boiling recycle solvent under conditions of increasing severity. It was found that, for these reaction conditions, the bi-metallic catalyst was very active. Reactions conducted in the absence of solvent showed that 1% Fe + 0.1% Mo was much more active that 1% Fe and nearly as active as 1% Mo, based on total conversion and hydrogen consumption. Similarly, liquefaction in the presence of solvent has shown that the mixed catalyst results in consumption of the greatest amount of hydrogen gas and produces the largest conversion of the coal mass to soluble liquids. Comparisons of catalytic liquefaction performed in a one-step sequence at high severity, and in two-step sequences from low-to-high and high-to-low severity conditions, has confirmed that there are distinct advantages in liquefying coal in stages of increasing temperature. The application of polymer theory to the insoluble liquefaction residues and a consideration of total conversion and hydrogen utilization suggest that the various catalytic materials are acting on the coal through different mechanisms. Characterization of catalyst precursor, catalyst liquefaction residues and catalyst remnants found in coal liquefaction residues is continuing."
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Those are all the reports of this project we have so far been able to locate. There are, quite obviously, more.
A group of competent Coal Country scientists and journalists needs to collaboratively collect and review all of the reports, and then bring the results Home: Give them to the Coal Country public, whose government-levied US tax dollars helped to pay for this development work.
We've been kept down in the mines with our lights off for far too long - while foreign petroleum powers were allowed to loot our homes and raid our gardens.
