United States Patent: 3971635
We have been stating, with documentation of the fact, that the Hydrogen needed to hydrogenate Coal, which is mostly Carbon, so that resulting compounds can be more effectively used in the synthesis of liquid Hydrocarbon fuels, can be efficiently obtained, as an integral function of the Coal conversion process, through reactions of hot Coal with plain old Water.
Pittsburgh's former Gulf Oil Corporation, since absorbed into Chevron, stated that quite clearly, several decades ago, during what was, for them, as you have seen in other of our earlier reports, a remarkably productive decade for the development of Coal conversion technologies, in this United States Patent.
Comment follows excerpts from the above link to:
"United States Patent 3,971,635 - Coal Gasifier Having an Elutriated Feed Stream
Date: July, 1976
Inventor: Charles Matthews, PA
Assignee: Gulf Oil Corporation, Pittsburgh
Abstract: A process for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in a combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases containing carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon dioxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Feed coal for both streams is first passed through a crusher and the crushed coal is elutriated to remove coal fines, which are too small to be retained in the gasifier fluid bed, from coarse particulates. The elutriated fines are water scrubbed to form a slurry which comprises at least in part said first stream of coal entering the combustion zone, while the coarse particulates comprise said second stream of coal.
Claims: A process for gasifying feed ash-containing coal (with) water and steam in addition to an oxygen-containing gas (in conditions) at which carbon dioxide and water vapor react with carbon to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
A high degree of process heat economy is achieved by virtually complete gasification of the carbonaceous portion of the feed.
Description: This invention relates to a process for gasifying coal, coke, or other carbonaceous solids to produce a gaseous mixture which, after removal of carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide, is composed mainly of carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gaseous product may be utilized ... in coal conversion plants for manufacture of coal liquids ... ."
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In July, of 1976, a momentous bicentennial year, our declaration of independence from OPEC and Big Oil, as published herein, went essentially unnoticed.
The plain facts are: We can make hydrocarbon "coal liquids" with a "high degree of ... economy" by first gasifying, together, Coal and Water.
