This Shell Oil technology is mostly about the processing of synthesis gas, once it is produced from Coal, in order to generate more versatile, and more valuable, hydrocarbons.
We submit it only to emphasize, yet again, that hydrogenated synthesis gas suitable for efficient catalytic conversion into more useful hydrocarbons can be readily produced via the Steam gasification of Coal.
That fact is highlighted in the following passage excerpted from the main body of the Disclosure, where it is included almost as an isolated aside:
"In the process according to the invention the starting material is an H2/CO mixture with an H2/CO molar ratio of less than 1.0. Such H2/CO mixtures can very suitably be prepared by steam gasification of a carbon containing material. Examples of such materials are brown coal, anthracite ... ."
Comment follows further excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,338,089 - Process for the Preparation of Hydrocarbons
Date: July, 1982
Inventors: Lambert Shaper and Swan Cie, The Netherlands
Assignee: Shell Oil Company, Houston
Abstract: A process is disclosed for the preparation of a hydrocarbon mixture by contacting in a first stage a feed mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide with an H2 /CO molar ratio of less than 1.0 with a trifunctional catalyst combination containing (a) at least one metal component having catalytic activity for conversions of a H2 /CO mixture into acyclic hydrocarbons, and/or acyclic oxygen-containing hydrocarbons, (b) at least one metal component for the conversion of an H2O/CO mixture into an H2 /CO mixture, and (c) a certain crystalline silicate containing at least one trivalent metal selected from aluminum, iron, gallium, rhodium, chromium and scandium, ... ; adjusting the H2 /CO molar to at least 1.5 by adding H2O, if necessary; followed by contacting in a second stage at least the C2 - fraction of the reaction product from the first stage with a bifunctional catalyst combination containing at least one metal component with catalytic activity for converting an H2 /CO mixture into acyclic hydrocarbons and also at least one metal component with catalytic activity for converting an H2O/CO mixture into an H2 /CO2 mixture.
Claims: What is claimed is (a) process for the preparation of a hydrocarbon mixture, from ... carbon monoxide and hydrogen (and) wherein the H2/CO mixture feed ... has been obtained by steam gasification of a carbon-containing material.
Examples of such (carbon-containing) materials are brown coal, anthracite (and, etc.)"
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We submit this example of Coal conversion and hydrogenation technology only to reaffirm that all we need to do, in order to generate an hydrogenated synthesis gas from Coal, one that is more suitable for catalytic condensation into liquid hydrocarbons via, for instance, Fischer-Tropsch catalysis, is to add, as Shell Oil puts it, "H2O, if necessary".
