PROCESS AND SYSTEM FOR PRODUCING SYNTHETIC CRUDE FROM COAL
We present excerpts, from the above link and attached file, further below. But, first, we remind you of a post published some time ago on the WV Coal Association web site, and appearing as:
"West Virginia Coal Association - ARCO & FMC Refine CoalTL Courtesy of US Gov ".
In that dispatch, we reported further on the New Jersey "COED", Coal conversion pilot plant operated for the United States Government by FMC Corporation; documenting that the crude Coal liquids produced by that facility were studied by the Atlantic Richfield Company, who developed refining techniques for them.
The post included a link to the brief synopsis of a patent we feel certain ARCO was subsequently awarded, for Coal liquid refining technology, after their Government-paid participation in that project.
Herein, we present, via the very first link, above, and attached document, that full United States Patent, detailing how raw Coal liquids can be further processed to serve as direct feed for a conventional petroleum refinery.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 3,503,867 - Producing Synthetic Crude from Coal
Date: March, 1970
Inventor: Leslie Ludlam, et. al.; California
Assignee: Atlantic Richfield Company, Philadelphia
Abstract: A process is disclosed for producing synthetic petroleum crude from coal, for use in a petroleum refining system, which includes low temperature carbonization of dried pulverized coal, hydrocracking of the combination of middle oil, tar and naphtha, vacuum distillation and secondary hydrotreating of the low volatility components derived from the hydrocracking process and fractionalization of the high volatility hydrocarbons from the hydrocracking unit and the secondarily hydrogenated low volatility components derived from the hydrocracking process.
Background: This invention relates to a process and apparatus for producing liquid hydrocarbon products from coal. More specifically, this process relates to methods for producing synthetic petroleum crude by carbonization of coal and hydrotreating of coal tar products.
Summary: A ... specific object of the invention is the provision of a novel combination carbonization and hydrogenation system for extracting liquid hydrocarbon fractions from coal.
We claim: The process for producing synthetic petroleum crude from coal ... ."
----------
Well, they claimed they could produce "synthetic petroleum crude from coal", and our US Government experts, through award of this patent, agreed that they darned-well could.
So, why aren't they, why isn't anyone, outside of South Africa and, perhaps, China, doing it?
We'll presume that, for now, they're quite satisfied with the status quo; and, with the profits that keep rolling in from that ole' status quo.
Far past time somebody's tree got shaken, ain't it?
And, we remind you: The Coal conversion technology upon which this ARCO invention was based, aside from having been developed through the support of the US Government, and our tax dollars, results in the concurrent production of some still-carbonaceous residues. In the original, Government-sponsored New Jersey "COED" process development, which we've documented for you, and which we're confident led to this enclosed patent, the carbonaceous residues were sent to a plant in Spain for secondary extraction of hydrocarbons through the use of a Hydrogen donor solvent we believe to have been Tetralin, the same solvent we believe to be specified by West Virginia University, in their "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of raw Coal.
Finally, as we will in the future document, a collection of other technologies has been developed, and patented, for such further extraction and conversion of such Coal liquefaction residues.
The entire processing technology for Coal liquefaction seems to be complete. Why isn't it being used?
