Hydrogen manufacture
Not so well known, among the general public, is the fact that supplemental Hydrogen is often needed in the refining of some conventional crude petroleum, so that useable hydrocarbon liquids can be made; just as supplemental Hydrogen, in one form or another, from one source or another, is required to hydrogenate raw liquids or synthesis gas derived from Coal, in order to improve the production, from Coal conversion processes, of useful hydrocarbons.
Hydrogen, as compounded in Methane, has been used and proposed for such purposes, just as Methane has been utilized to the same end in most of the Carbon Dioxide reforming and recycling technologies we've been documenting for you.
However, we have also documented that pure supplemental Hydrogen, for Coal liquefaction or Carbon Dioxide reforming and conversion, can be generated through reactions between hot Coal or Coke, and Steam.
As it happens, Big Oil recognized that fact long ago, and used those reactions to generate Hydrogen, for their petroleum refining operations, from Coal.
The following excerpts from the above link attest to that fact, with additional comment appended:
"United States Patent 2,538,235 - Hydrogen Manufacture
Date: June, 1951
Joseph Coffey, Chicago
Standard Oil (of Indiana) Company, Chicago
Abstract: This invention relates to the manufacture of hydrogen and it pertains more particularly to improved methods of generating relatively pure hydrogen ... employing fluidized solids techniques.
An object of my invention is to provide a continuous process which will produce a hydrogen product stream.
An object of my invention is to produce substantially pure hydrogen in a single step ... .
Another object of my invention is to produce a hydrogen substantially free from ... sulfur contaminants ... .
A further object is to provide a method for generating hydrogen which will require a minimum capital investment and operating cost.
(Note, especially, the following.)
My invention may also be utilized for the production of hydrogen-carbon monoxide mixtures valuable as a synthesis gas charge for the synthesis of hydrocarbons, alcohols and other products by the means of the Fischer-Tropsch ... or other known synthesis reactions ... .
Claims: The method of producing hydrogen which comprises continuously introducing (particles) of calcium carbonate and coal into a calcining zone (and passing) steam upwardly in said reaction zone (and) effecting reaction of carbon with steam ... to produce hydrogen."
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The inventors also suggest that, for economy and expediency, the Coal in the calcining zone can be made hot enough that pre-generated Steam isn't needed - just plain old Water.
But, note: With only Coal and Water, and with only a "minimum capital investment and operating cost", we can make a hydrogen-enriched "valuable ... synthesis gas ... for the synthesis of hydrocarbons", via the "Fischer-Tropsch" process - which is nearly-synonymous with, and which was originally developed for, the conversion of Coal into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
Our ongoing thesis, as confirmed herein by Standard Oil of Indiana, and, as embodied in the Patent Office, our US Government, has been that, if we need supplemental Hydrogen to enrich synthesis gas derived from Coal, or, to further convert raw Coal liquids into direct replacements for the liquid hydrocarbon fuels our economy is currently reliant on, we can darned-well make that Hydrogen, too, by just adding Water, from Coal.
