Process for producing hydrogencarbon monoxide gas mixtures
Starting to realize, the various and sundry "Standard Oil"-derived companies, like Consolidation Coal Company, have a long history of Coal conversion development.
And, just as with our accumulated data, and pending reports, on Consol, the Standard Oil paper trail has become so extensive that we have no choice but to start grinding through it in as methodical and chronologically-ordered a fashion as possible.
Toward that end, we herein submit, from 1949, the now-earliest of our remaining Standard-related documents attesting to the fact that, not only can Coal be efficiently converted into more versatile forms of fuel and energy, but, the Oil industry and our US Government have known that to be true for quite a long time.
Moreover, the US Patent enclosed herein is another early attestation to the fact that, since Hydrogen is needed to hydrogenate Coal, composed as it is mainly of Carbon, in order to synthesize liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons compatible with our current infrastructure, we can obtain that Hydrogen from plain old Water, as an integral step in the overall Coal conversion process.
Summary comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 2,482,187 - Producing Hydrogen-Carbon Monoxide Mixtures
Date: September, 1949
Inventor: Everett Johnson, Illinois
Assignee: Standard Oil Company, Chicago
Abstract: This invention relates to a process and apparatus for the optimum utilization of the hydrocarbon values derived from solid carbonaceous substances such as coal ... . ... the invention pertains to the production of gas mixtures comprising essentially hydrogen and carbon oxides suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons.
It is an object of this invention to provide improved method and means for decomposing powdered coal wherein hot coke ... (provides) ... heat for the rapid decomposition of powdered coal and for the endothermic steam reactions to produce gas mixtures of hydrogen and carbon oxides.
Claims: The method of making gas mixtures consisting chiefly of hydrogen and carbon monoxide suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons."
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As usual, the full disclosure is replete with so many details, and so complicated, that it needs reduction into understandable language by truly-qualified experts.
But, in essence, they are making hydrogenated synthesis gas, "suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons", by via "endothermic steam reactions" with hot Coal.
And, a close reading of the patent reveals that, as in other of our reports, all of the energy needed to make the Steam, to heat the Coal, and, to drive such "endothermic steam reactions" to make the hydrogenated syngas, comes from Coal.
In other words, we have, as herein, known officially for better than sixty years that all we need to "synthesize hydrocarbons" is Coal and Water.
Do you think we might have either of those things to spare for that purpose?
PS: The "Standard Oil" owner of this Coal conversion patent was, we believe, originally and specifically, Standard Oil of Indiana, who went on to become AMOCO; who then went on to be absorbed by British Petroleum - who, had they followed up on development of their acquired Coal-to-Liquid technology, might not now be the subjects of such onerous news arising from the Dead Sea of the Americas - once known as the Gulf of Mexico.
PSS, to our environmentally-minded readers: How do you like us now? We don't really want to be contentious; but, we have all been misled by misinformation disseminated about Coal, and it's genuine potentials.
