Process for preparing liquid hydrocarbon fuel from coal
As in just one of our more recent posts, concerning: "United States Patent 4,230,556 - Integrated Coal Liquefaction-Gasification Process; 1980; Assignee: Gulf Oil Corporation, Pittsburgh; we have been documenting that Pittsburgh's former Gulf Oil Corporation had, in the years just prior to their assimilation by Chevron, devoted considerable effort into demonstrating that Coal could be profitably and efficiently converted into hydrocarbons; products which could serve as direct replacements for the liquid and gaseous fuels we traditionally think of as coming from "petroleum".
Herein, we see that Gulf, and it's team of Pennsylvania scientists, had been, for many decades, publicly unnoticed, and long before issuance of the above-noted invention, developing Coal conversion technology.
Comment follows brief excerpts from:
"United States Patent 2,654,675 - Process for Preparing Liquid Hydrocarbons from Coal
Date: October 6, 1953
Inventor: William Gilbert, et. al., Pennsylvania
Assignee: Gulf Research and Development Company, Pittsburgh
This invention involves an improved combination of steps for preparing liquid hydrocarbon fuels from coal.
This invention has for it's object ... an improved procedure for converting coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuel.
Claims: The process of preparing a hydrocarbon fuel from coal which comprises in combination subjecting a first portion of coal to destructive hydrogenation by treatment with hydrogen (and) subjecting a second portion of coal to a simultaneous solvent extraction-hydrogenation ... ."
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First, as we have from other sources documented to be practical, Gulf's "second ... simultaneous solvent extraction" is, as they specify in the full Disclosure, carried out using an hydrogenated primary Coal oil as the solvent.
Second, they do specify the use of free Hydrogen. Such technology is employed in oil refining; and, as we have documented, Hydrogen can be efficiently manufactured, from water, via multiple processes. However, we acknowledge that there are now more economical ways to hydrogenate carbon, and those likely represent valuable advances in the technology secured by this patent.
Our point though, is: More than half a century ago, it was officially established, in one of the hearts of United States Coal Country, that we could make the liquid hydrocarbon fuels we need out of our domestic Coal.
Consider all that has happened since our US Government, as herein, officially acknowledged that fact; and, start asking: "Why?".
