PROCESS FOR DIRECT COAL LIQUEFACTION - Patent application - of coal including: preparing a coal slurry from raw coal
We remind you that we some time ago alerted you to the fact that China had fairly recently applied for international patents on a direct Coal liquefaction process that sounded, to us, very similar to what we understand of WVU's "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of Coal.
Herein, via the above link, we learn that a group of what we believe to be Chinese scientists has, through the United States offices of the Japanese company, Hitachi, applied for a US Patent on what seems to be a somewhat different Coal liquefaction technology.
Before presenting excerpts from the link above, we must offer some preamble.
Since patent application details, such as the inventors' affiliations, aren't disclosed as fully as issued and published patents, we were compelled to do some additional mining. And, we managed to dig up what should be the interesting fact that the lead named inventor, "Yuzhuo Zhang", is actually an executive with China's Shenhua Group, the CEO, in fact, of China Shenua Coal Liquefaction Company, who delivered the following presentation to West Virginia University in 2007:
Shenhua Coal-to-Liquid Projects - Events - National Research Center for Coal and Energy
"Shenua Coal-to-Liquid (CTL) Projects - Presented by Yuzhuo Zhang, Ph.D.
August 30, 2007
National Research Center for Coal; West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV"
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In any case, following are excerpts from the patent application itself, with additional comment appended:
"Patent Application Title: Process for Direct Coal Liquefaction
Inventors: Yuzhuo Zhang, Geping Shu, et. al.
Agent: Renner Otto Boisselle & Sklar, LLP.; Cleveland, OH
Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
Abstract: Process for direct coal liquefaction of coal, including: (1) preparing a coal slurry from raw coal; (2) preheating the coal slurry, then feeding it into reaction system to undergo liquefaction reaction; (3) separating reaction products in a separator to form a liquid phase and a gas phase, wherein the liquid phase is fractionated in an atmospheric tower into a light oil fraction and a bottom product; (4) feeding the atmospheric tower bottom product to a vacuum tower to separate into distillate and vacuum residue; (5) mixing the light oil fraction and the distillate to form a mixture, then feeding the mixture to a suspended bed hydrotreating reactor with forced circulation for hydrogenation; (6) fractionating hydrogenation products into oil products and a hydrogen donor recycling solvent. The process can operate long periods, with higher reactor efficiency and utilization factor, increased liquid oil yield and can supply high-quality feedstock for further processing.
Claims: A direct coal liquefaction process, wherein the process comprises the following steps:(1) preparing a coal slurry from raw coal;(2) pretreating the coal slurry, then feeding it to a reaction system to undergo liquefaction reaction;(3) separating reaction effluent from the reaction system in a separator to form a liquid phase and a gas phase, wherein the liquid phase is fractionated in an atmospheric tower into a light oil fraction and a bottom product;(4) feeding the atmospheric tower bottom product to a vacuum tower to separate it into distillate and residue;(5) mixing the light oil fraction and the distillate to form a mixture, then feeding the mixture to a suspended bed hydrotreating reactor with forced circulation for hydrogenation;(6) fractionating hydrogenation products into oil products and a hydrogen donor recycling solvent.
Description and Background:
The present invention relates to a process for direct coal liquefaction. In 1913, Dr. Bergius in Germany engaged in the research of producing liquid fuel from coal or coal tar through hydrogenation under high pressure and high temperature, subsequently, he was granted a patent concerning direct coal liquefaction technology, which was the first patent in the field and laid the foundation of direct coal liquefaction. In 1927, the first direct coal liquefaction plant in the world was built in Leuna by a German fuel company (I.G. Farbenindustrie). During World War II, there were altogether 12 such kind of plants built and operated with a total capacity of 423.times.10.sup.4 t/year, which supplied 2/3 of the aviation fuel, 50% of the motor fuel and 50% of the tank fuel for the German Army. The direct coal liquefaction process of that time adopted: bubble type liquefaction reactor, filter or centrifuge for solid-liquid separation, iron containing natural ore catalyst.
In the early stages of the 1980's, H-COAL process was developed in the USA. In the H-COAL process, a suspended bed reactor with forced circulation was employed ... .
The IGOR ... process was developed in the late 1980's in Germany.
In the late 1990's, the NEDOL process was developed in Japan.
Summary of the Invention:
The objective of the invention is to provide a direct coal liquefaction process which can be operated steadily for a long period of time with high utilization rate of the reactor volume and the capacity of preventing mineral material sedimentation. Moreover, it is an objective to provide a process which can be operated under mild reaction conditions with maximum yield of liquid products which are of high qualities for further processing."
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We'll forego presenting any of the complicated technical details. However, these Chinese scientists are working in concert with Hitachi Medical, which we believe to be the only US office of Japan's Hitachi conglomerate, whose enigmatic corporate slogan, according to their web site, is: "Inspire the Next".
Well, if all those of us resident in US Coal Country don't wake up soon and smell the coffee - or, is that Coal smoke from the cellar? - the "Next" sound we're going to be "Inspired" to hear is the whistle of that big old Coal train leaving the station.
It is, really, far past time we did wake up to the realities of Coal liquefaction technology; and, started using those technologies to help us, the United States of America. Foreign interests are stealing our birthrights while we sleep.
