Production of a clean methane-rich fuel gas from high-sulfur containing hydrocarbonaceous materials - Patent 3928000
As in many of Big Oil's patents centered on the use of Coal as an alternative to traditional sources of petroleum products, Texaco was careful to use that dirty, four-letter word only once, that we were able to detect, in the whole body of this US Patent. You'll see it in our excerpts.
But, Coal, and it's conversion into more versatile forms of fuel, is really, we assert, what this technology is all about. They just didn't, for reasons we can all by now surmise, want to come right out and say so.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"Production of a clean methane-rich fuel gas from high-sulfur containing hydrocarbonaceous materials - United States Patent 3928000
Date: December 23, 1975
Inventors: Edward Child, et. al.; New York and California
Assignee: Texaco, Inc. New York
This is an improved process for converting low-cost high-sulfur containing hydrocarbonaceous materials into a clean methane-rich gas stream which may be burned as a fuel without contaminating the atmosphere. A high-sulfur hydrocarbonaceous fuel is gasified by partial oxidation to produce a process gas stream which is cooled, cleaned and subjected to catalytic methanation over a sulfur-resistant catalyst ... .
This invention relates to a continuous process for the production of a clean methane-rich gas stream from a high-sulfur containing fuel. More specifically, the present invention relates to the production of clean gaseous heating fuels from low cost high-sulfur containing hydrocarbonaceous materials. Further, the product gas may be burned without polluting the environment.
A national dilemma exists as the result of a diminishing supply of natural gas and an increasing demand for it. The impact of the gas crisis is being felt nationwide in rising prices, in governmental regulations with respect to the consumption of natural gas, and in prohibitions against the use of national gas in future commercial, industrial and apartment-house construction. It is imperative that alternate sources of low-cost gaseous heating fuels be developed which will not pollute the atmosphere when burned.
This is a process for producing a methane-rich gas comprising CH4 ... from a sulfur-containing ... fuel such as ... coal.
The reaction zone is preferably a conventional Texaco Synthesis Gas Generator."
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Hey! This oil company has their very own Syngas generator! Does everyone now know what a syngas generator does with Coal? And, what Fischer-Tropsch catalysis can do with syngas?
If you've followed our posts, you do.
However:
Once Methane is obtained, as herein via the gasification of Coal, using a technique that cleans it of Sulfur, it can be directly converted into liquid fuels; or, it can be used to supplement additional syngas derived from Coal to make liquid fuels; or, it can be reacted with Carbon Dioxide in tri-reforming processes to make liquid fuels.
All as we have documented. All as we will continue to document.
And, it all starts with: Coal.