United States Patent: 4222846
We've previously reported how the heat energy generated by some exothermic reaction sequences, in certain Coal conversion processes, can be recycled within the systems to improve efficiencies, and thus to lower the costs of the Coal liquids thus produced.
Herein, we again cite Pittsburgh's former Gulf Oil Corporation, and their P&M Mining subsidiary, prior to their amoebic absorption by Chevron, as they describe, not how heat energy can be directly recovered from certain steps in their process for converting Coal, but, how a portion of an intermediate product, Naphtha, can be diverted from the reaction sequence and then used as a fuel to generate any additional energy that might be required.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,222,846 - Coal Liquefaction-Gasification ... Including Reforming of Naptha
Date: September, 1980
Inventor: Bruce Schmid, Colorado
Assignee: Gulf Oil Corporation, Pittsburgh
Abstract: A combination coal liquefaction-gasification-naphtha reforming process wherein the slurry containing substantially the entire yield of normally solid dissolved coal produced in the liquefaction zone comprises substantially the only hydrocarbonaceous feed for the gasification zone and wherein a portion of the naphtha produced in the liquefaction zone is passed through the reforming zone for conversion to gasoline with the remainder of the naphtha being burned as fuel within the process. The amount of hydrocarbonaceous material charged to the gasification zone is established so that the thermal efficiency of the process is substantially unaffected by changes in the ratio of naphtha passed through the reforming zone to naphtha burned as process fuel. The thermal efficiency of the process is maintained at a high level regardless of minor variations in normally solid dissolved coal yield by changing the ratio of naphtha passed through the reforming zone to naphtha burned as process fuel.
Description: This invention relates to a process wherein coal liquefaction and oxidation gasification operations are combined with a step for reforming the naphtha produced in the liquefaction operation. A thermal efficiency advantage is achieved by utilizing syngas from the gasification zone as fuel in the reforming zone and/or elsewhere in the process and recovering hydrogen from the reforming operation for process use. This system contributes to the thermal efficiency of the process by reducing the amount of syngas that must be directly upgraded to process hydrogen."
----------
We close our excerpts here since we want to point out that, as immediately above, not only can an intermediate fuel be recovered and used, but: any Hydrogen needed for the hydrogenation of Coal, to form hydrocarbons, can, as we have also from other sources documented, be generated as an integral part of the Coal conversion process, as in: "recovering hydrogen from the reforming operation for process use", above.
So, not only can some of the energy needed to drive Coal hydrogenation be produced by the Coal conversion process itself, so can the required Hydrogen.
