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As in many of our previous dispatches, and in more to follow, we again document that a well-developed body of technical knowledge, concerning the conversion of our abundant reserves of Coal into the liquid fuels we grow increasingly short of, exists in this nation, and has existed for many decades.
We have documented the extensive, government-promoted Coal-to-liquid technology development,that took place in various parts of the United States, immediately subsequent to WWII, inspired by our Government's awareness of how the Germans and Japanese fueled their armies in significant part with synthetic fuels made from Coal.
Herein, we document yet another piece of technology that evolved from that post-war era of CoalTL development, yet another US Patent for technology to convert Coal into substitute petroleum liquids, a technology owned by what was then yet another soldier in Big Oil's army.
Comment follows highly abbreviated excerpts from the above link to:
"Process for Preparing Liquid Hydrocarbon Fuel from Coal - US Patent Number 2,654,695
Date: October 6, 1953
Inventors: William J. Gilbert and Charles Montgomery; Oakmont, PA
Assignee: Gulf Research and Development Company; Pittsburgh, PA
Abstract:
This invention involves an improved combination of steps for preparing liquid hydrocarbon fuels from coal.
Several procedures are known for liquefying coal or for converting coal into liquid materials.
This invention has for it's object to provide an improved procedure for converting coal into liquid hydrocarbons suitable as fuel. Another object is to improve the economics of the conversion of coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
These and other objects are accomplished by our invention ... ."
So, in 1953, our own US Government Patent Office experts agreed that these oil company scientists had, indeed, developed "an improved combination of steps for preparing liquid ... fuels from coal"; and, that it was "an improved procedure" that served "to improve the economics of the conversion of coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuel".
Parroting the Abstract that way might seem annoying, but: More than half a century ago, our US Government experts agreed that oil industry scientists had "improved" the "procedure" and "the economics" of converting "coal into liquid ... fuel".
