United States Patent: 4183733
We recently reported on a United States Patent, for a Coal-to-Hydrocarbon invention made in West Virginia, by Union Carbide scientists, wherein most of the needed heat energy required to drive the entire system, as in other, similar Coal conversion technologies, was derived from one of the steps in the overall process.
Herein, we see that our United States Government again acknowledged the reality of that great Coal transmutation economy, via it's award of a United States Patent, to German inventors, for a Coal conversion process that produces so much of it's own needed energy that it can be described as "autothermic".
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,183,733 - Hydro Gas Plant with Utilization of the Residual Coke
Date: January, 1980
Inventor: Walter Jager, Cologne, Germany
Abstract: A hydro gas plant with utilization of the residual coke, comprising a gasifier into which raw coal is introduced for hydro gasification that results in the production of methane; a furnace for cracking the methane into hydrogen and carbon monoxide; and means for utilizing the combustion heat of the residual coke obtained during the operation of the gasifier, or a low-BTU gas produced from the coke, in at least the cracking furnace but optionally also in a steam generator. The use of exhaust gases from the cracking furnace is also suggested, namely in a preheater through which hydrogen is fed to the gasifier.
Claims: A hydro gas plant with utilization of residual coke, comprising, in combination: a first gasifier into which raw coal is introduced for hydro gasification that results in the production of a gas including methane with residual coke as a byproduct; a cryogenic separator wherein the gas exiting from said first gasifier is further separated into its constituents, namely methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen; a furnace for cracking the methane originating from said separator into hydrogen and carbon monoxide with exhaust gases as byproducts; a heat exchanger operatively connected with said furnace for passing the methane to and conversely a cracked gas mixture from said furnace in countercurrent fashion; a second gasifier for producing low-BTU gas from at least a portion of the residual coke derived from said first gasifier; a steam generator for adding steam to the methane before being passed from said separator to said furnace through said heat exchanger; and means for utilizing the combustion heat of at least one of the produced residual coke and low-BTU gas by burning in the processes being conducted in at least one of said furnace and said steam generator.
Description: The present invention pertains to an autothermic plant for hydro gasification of coal, wherein part of the produced methane gas is cracked into hydrogen and carbon monoxide by means of a cracking furnace. During the hydro gasification of coal, whether hard or soft bituminous coal, a certain portion of the processed carbon remains as coke since for complete gasification, the residence time of the coal in the gasifier would be so long that an economical utilization of the plant were made impossible. This residual coke, as well as the gas generated therefrom that contains carbon monoxide, are of relatively poor quality and are, therefore, hard to dispose of.
(It has been) suggested to treat the residual coke with steam whereby a hydrogen-rich gas is obtained which in turn can be used as hydration gas for the hydro gasification. By combustion of a portion of the residual coke, the heat required for steam gasification can be obtained. It is, however, much more economical to utilize the residual coke in accordance with the invention in the manner described below.
The object of the invention is an economical and complete usage of the residual coke within an easily controllable plant for hydro gasification of coal while at a stable process behavior.
This is solved by using the combustion heat of the residual coke obtained during gasification to heat the furnace in which the methane is cracked. The hydrogen required for hydro gasification of coal can be produced without any additional energy supply."
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In other words, an hydrogenated syngas, and Methane, suitable, we submit, for further catalysis into liquid hydrocarbons, can be manufactured from Coal and Water, in a process where all the energy needed can be supplied by proper treatment of the raw materials; and, all the Hydrogen "required for hydro gasification of coal can" also "be produced" as an integral function of the overall process "without any additional energy supply".
Moreover, as we have from other sources documented, the char, or coke, the "resid", from the primary conversion process can be further treated, by steam gasification, to yield more hydrocarbon values, in addition to heat energy needed by the system, thus resulting in "an economical and complete usage of" such "residual coke".
Have we gotten all of that, have we gotten it, about right?
When, do you suppose, all the citizens of United States Coal Country will be given the privilege, not to just to "get it", but, to benefit from it?