As we have reported, an extensive body of Coal liquefaction technology was developed by Pittsburgh, PA's former Gulf Oil Corporation, prior to their assimilation by California's Chevron.
We have also documented Chevron's coincident interest in Coal liquefaction technology, suggesting that such coincident interest might have been a motivating factor in their acquisition of Gulf.
In any case, we submit herein further evidence of just how advanced the technology for converting Coal into liquid fuels actually is, through another United States Patent issued to Chevron, which, as with other, similar technologies we have reported, doesn't disclose how liquid hydrocarbons are made from Coal, but, instead, reveals how such Coal-derived liquids, once they are produced, can be more efficiently refined to serve as direct replacements for the products we now derive from petroleum.
It's an important bit of technology, we believe, since it confirms earlier of our reports documenting that large amounts of expensive, pure Hydrogen aren't needed in order to hydrogenate the Carbonaceous liquids derived from Coal, in order to make them suitable as direct replacements for petroleum liquids.
Much of the needed Hydrogen can be efficiently derived from plain old Water.
But, as with many published petroleum industry documents concerning Coal liquefaction technology, they don't much like using the word "Coal".
A series of brief, advance excerpts should help dispel any doubts one might have about what Chevron is revealing in this US Patent.
In the full Disclosure, as available through the enclosed link, we find such statements as:
"A particularly preferred feedstock for the present invention is the total reaction product effluent from a Fischer-Tropsch process."
"The existing commercial facilities using the Fischer-Tropsch process are detailed in a series of four articles by J. C. Hoogendoorn and J. M. Solomon, "Sasol: World's Largest Oil-From-Coal Plant," British Chemical Engineering, May, June, July and August 1957."
and:
"In a preferred embodiment of the present invention H2 and CO from any source, for example from the gasification of coal, coke, peat, are passed over a conventional Fischer-Tropsch catalyst to produce a reaction product mixture."
Brief comment follows further excerpts from:
"United States Patent 4,097,364 - Hydrocracking in the Presence of Water and Low Hydrogen Pressure
Date: June, 1978
Inventor: Clark Egan, CA
Assignee: Chevron Research Company, San Francisco
Abstract: Disclosed is a process for hydrocracking high-boiling hydrocarbons to lower-boiling hydrocarbons under hydrocracking conditions including high concentrations of water and water precursors and a low partial pressure of hydrogen. Also disclosed is a combination process for the production of synthetic hydrocarbons from CO and H2, wherein the CO and H2 are contacted in a reaction zone containing both a Fischer-Tropsch hydrocarbon synthesis catalyst and a hydrocracking catalyst to produce a reaction product essentially free of oxygenated components. The synthetic hydrocarbons produced by the process of this invention are particularly useful as transportation fuels.
Claims: A process for hydrocracking high-boiling hydrocarbons boiling in the range from 400 to 1000F to form lower-boiling hydrocarbons boiling in the range from 80 to 700F, which comprises contacting said high-boiling hydrocarbons, in a reaction zone, in a feedstock containing from 4 to 15 weight percent water and containing straight-chain olefins and oxygen-containing water precursors including CO and CO2 ... to convert said high-boiling hydrocarbons to said lower-boiling hydrocarbons... .
(The) present invention relates to conversion of oxygenated components produced in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction to hydrocarbons, thus increasing the yield of the hydrocarbons.
The reaction of CO and H2 to form hydrocarbons, water, alcohols, acids, and other products, has long been known in the art and was extensively investigated in the 1930's and 40's. The book "The Fischer-Tropsch and Related Synthesis" by Storch et al. details the well-known Fischer-Tropsch catalyst and process conditions. The Fischer-Tropsch synthesis was used extensively in Germany to produce gasoline-boiling-range hydrocarbons during World War II. Today the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis is still being used commercially in South Africa to produce straight-chain, high-boiling-range hydrocarbons with some medium-boiling oils, diesel oil, LP gas and oxygenated compounds.
(Note: They meticulously avoid saying where such "CO and H2", as utilized by Germany and South Africa to make "hydrocarbons" actually comes from. - JtM)
The invention relates to the catalytic hydrocracking of high-boiling hydrocarbons to produce therefrom lower-boiling hydrocarbons, boiling, for example, in the gasoline, naphtha or diesel range. Furthermore, the invention relates to the catalytic hydrocracking of synthetic hydrocarbons produced in a Fischer-Tropsch process. Still more particularly, the invention relates to the catalytic hydrocracking of substantially the entire reaction product from a Fischer-Tropsch process under catalytic hydrocracking conditions, including a low partial pressure of hydrogen and a high concentration of water and water precursors.
Furthermore, the present invention relates to conversion of oxygenated components produced in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction to hydrocarbons, thus increasing the yield of the hydrocarbons.
Summary and Description: A process for hydrocracking high-boiling hydrocarbons to lower-boiling hydrocarbons in the presence of water and water precursors ... .
Briefly, one novel aspect of the present invention resides in carrying out a hydrocracking reaction under unusual hydrocracking conditions, particularly a low partial pressure of hydrogen and a high concentration of water and water precursors.
A second novel aspect of the invention resides in the production of high yields of synthetic hydrocarbons for transportation fuels from CO and H2. The synthetic hydrocarbons produced are particularly useful as transportation fuels."
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So, in order to make "synthetic hydrocarbons" that are "particularly useful as transportation fuels", out of "compounds produced in the Fischer-Tropsch reaction", as has been described, for instance, "in a series of four articles by J. C. Hoogendoorn and J. M. Solomon, "Sasol: World's Largest Oil-From-Coal Plant,"" which appeared, half a century ago, in "British Chemical Engineering, May, June, July and August, 1957", all we need do is process such "high-boiling hydrocarbons" obtained from Coal "to lower-boiling hydrocarbons in the presence of water".
