United States Patent: 3884796
A few days ago, we reported on "United States Patent 3,892,654 - Dual Temperature Coal Solvation Process"; the rights to which were assigned, in July of 1975, to both Gulf Oil's P&M Mining subsidiary, in Kansas, and the United States Government, since, as the patent specified, the "invention resulted from work performed under Contract No. 14-01-0001-496 between The Pittsburgh and Midway Coal Mining Co., a subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation, and the Office of Coal Research in the Department of the Interior entered into pursuant to the Coal Research Act, 30 USC 661 to 668."
Herein, we see that, just months before issuance of that patent, Gulf and P&M had developed another, earlier variation on the solvent-based Coal liquefaction technology, again in service, under the very same contract, to the US Government.
Comment follows excerpts from:
"United States Patent 3,884,796 - Solvent Refined Coal Process
Date: May, 1975
Inventors: Charles Hinderliter, et. al., KS
Assignee: The United States of America
This invention resulted from work performed under Contract No. 14-01-0001-496 between The Pittsburg & Midway Coal Mining Co., a subsidiary of Gulf Oil Corporation, and the Office of Coal Research in the Department of the Interior entered into persuant to the Coal Research Act, 30 USC 661 to 668.
Abstract: A solvation process for producing deashed solid and liquid hydrocarbonaceous fuel from coal. Raw coal is slurred with a solvent comprising hydroaromatic compounds in contact with hydrogen in a first zone to dissolve hydrocarbonaceous fuel from coal minerals by transfer of hydrogen from hydroaromatic solvent compounds to hydrocarbonaceous material in the coal. The slurry is then treated with hydrogen in a second zone to replenish the solvent with hydrogen. The process is improved by retention of coal minerals in the second zone.
Claims: A process for preparing deashed solid and liquid hydroocarbonaceous fuel from hydrocarbonaceous feed coal containing ash ... .
This invention relates to a liquid solvent dissolving process for producing reduced or low ash hydrocarbonaceous solid fuel and hydrocarbonaceous distillate liquid fuel, from ash-containing raw coal. Preferred coal feeds contain hydrogen, such as bituminous and sub-bituminous coals, and lignites.
The solvent used at process start-up is advantageously derived from coal."
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We close our abbreviated excerpts here since, as in our earlier report of this project, they were attempting to inhibit the co-production of hydrocarbon gasses, with the liquid fuels, in favor of co-producing more solid carbonaceous fuel; which, from our point of view, is absolute rubbish.
If we want a solid carbonaceous fuel, all we have to do is mine it. We call it Coal.
On the other hand, the hydrocarbon gasses they didn't seem to want are the very same ones that, as we have documented, and as we will continue to document, can be catalytically condensed directly into liquid hydrocarbon fuels; or, be added to processes of indirect Coal conversion, to improve the production of liquid hydrocarbon fuels; or, bi-reformed and tri-reformed with Carbon Dioxide, to transform that supposed pollutant into liquid hydrocarbon fuels.
And, finally, note: As we have from many other sources now documented, any liquid solvent needed to dissolve and liquefy coal, as above, can be "advantageously derived from coal".
