United States Patent: 3847567
Previously, we forwarded a report by Pittsburgh, PA, USDOE scientists Charles Taylor and Richard Noceti, entitled "Conversion of Methane to Gasoline-Range Hydrocarbons", as only our latest submission of evidence that Gasoline can be synthesized from Methane.
And, we will be sending along another, similar, report, by Taylor, documenting that Methanol, as well, can be produced from Methane conversion.
Herein, via the above link and following excerpt, we demonstrate, yet again, that the petroleum industry and, as embodied in the Patent Office, at least, our own US Government, have known for at least more than a quarter of a century that such useful Methane can be efficiently generated from Coal.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 3,847,567 - Catalytic Coal Hydrogasification Process
Date: November, 1974
Inventors: Theodore Kalina, NJ, and Roger Moore, TX
Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering, NJ
Abstract: Methane is produced by the thermoneutral reaction of steam with coal or other carbonaceous material in a hydrogasification zone containing an alkali metal catalyst and sufficient hydrogen to suppress competing endothermic reactions. The gas taken overhead from the gasifier is subjected to steam reforming and then processed for the removal of acid constituents, hydrogen which is recycled to the hydrogasification zone, and carbon monoxide which is used as fuel for the steam reformer.
Claims:1. A process for the manufacture of methane which comprises:
a. reacting finely divided carbonaceous solids with steam and hydrogen in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst in a hydrogasifier and withdrawing a methane rich gas overhead from said hydrogasifier;
b. reacting said methane-rich gas with steam in a catalytic steam reforming furnace and withdrawing a methane-rich gas of increased hydrogen content from said reforming furnace;
c. treating said gas of increased hydrogen content for the removal of acidic constituents;
d. separating the treated gas into a product methane stream, a hydrogen stream, and a carbon monoxide stream;
e. recycling at least a portion of said hydrogen stream to said hydrogasifier; and
f. burning at least a portion of said carbon monoxide stream as fuel in said steam reforming furnace.
Background: This invention relates to the gasification of coal and other carbonaceous materials and is particularly concerned with gasification processes carried out over alkali metal catalysts for the production of methane.
Summary: This invention provides an improvement over the process referred to above which permits significant savings in operating costs and has other advantages. In accordance with the invention, a high Btu gas suitable for pipeline purposes is produced by reacting finely divided coal or similar carbonaceous material with steam and hydrogen in the presence of an alkali metal catalyst, passing the resultant gas to a catalytic reforming unit where steam and methane react to form hydrogen and carbon monoxide, treating the reformer gas product for the removal of carbon dioxide and other acidic gases, and then separating the treated gas into a hydrogen stream which is recycled to the gasifier, a carbon monoxide stream which is used to fuel the reformer and provide heat for the process, and a product gas stream composed primarily of methane. The hydrogen and reactant steam concentrations in the gasifier are controlled so that the exothermic hydrogasification reactions provide sufficient heat for the endothermic steam reactions, reactant preheat and reactor heat losses. This results in a substantially thermoneutral process which has economic advantages over processes employed in the past."
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Note that, as in Claims Items "a." and "b.", the additional Hydrogen required by this process, to further hydrogenate the highly-carbonaceous products initially extracted from Coal, can be generated as an integral function of the total system.
Supplemental Hydrogen, for Coal liquid hydrogenation into materials suitable as petroleum refinery feed stock, thus does not, at additional expense, have to be imported; or, separately and expensively, produced via another operation.
That one point serves the primary intent of this dispatch, in support of claims to the same effect we have earlier made:
Any needed Hydrogen can be manufactured as an integral function of the Coal conversion process.
More efficiencies are achieved, however, in Exxon's specification of another technique we have also separately documented:
Excess Carbon Monoxide that might be generated in the process of Coal conversion can be recycled within the system as fuel to "provide heat for the process".
The technologies for converting our abundant Coal into the liquid fuels and petrochemical feed stocks we grow increasingly short of seem, to us, so complete and so thoroughly developed that we absolutely cannot think of any reason, any good reason, they haven't yet been reduced to broad commercial practice.