God bless the rocket scientists.
As has been disclosed multiple times in our reports, processes designed for the indirect conversion of Coal into more versatile hydrocarbons, such as the seemingly best-known Fischer-Tropsch technology, necessitate first converting Coal into a synthesis gas, or "syngas", through a process of partial oxidation; with or without the addition of Steam to provide supplemental Hydrogen.
Although the partial oxidation is controlled to minimize it, some Carbon Dioxide is inevitably co-produced, along with the desired Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen, through the use of, essentially, Coal combustion to drive the generation of that syngas.
And, although, as we have documented, and as we will continue to document, Carbon Dioxide can be reclaimed and also utilized in the synthesis of fuels, it's co-production in the more conventional Coal gasification processes is unwanted, especially since it reflects a loss of the reactive, and desired, Carbon Monoxide product.
Herein, we see that our National Aeronautics and Space Administration, whose interests in Coal and Carbon Dioxide conversion technologies we have previously documented for you, solved that problem of Carbon Dioxide co-production during Coal gasification to produce hydrocarbon synthesis gas, and did so in a way that should be pleasing to both the economists and the ecologists among us.
Rather than partially oxidize Coal to generate synthesis gas, our rocket scientists herein show us that we can make a more pure, more reactive syngas, instead, by vaporizing Coal with Solar power.
Comment follows excerpts from the enclosed link to:
"United States Patent 4,290,779 - Solar Heated Fluidized Bed Gasification System
Date: September, 1981
Inventors: Robert Frosch and Shaik Qader
Assignee: Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Abstract: A solar-powered fluidized bed gasification system for gasifying carbonaceous material. The system includes a solar gasifier ... which is heated by fluidizing gas and steam. Energy to heat the gas and steam is supplied by a high heat capacity refractory honeycomb which surrounds the fluid bed reactor zone. The high heat capacity refractory honeycomb is heated by solar energy focused on the honeycomb by (the) solar concentrator ... . The fluid bed reaction zone is also heated directly and uniformly by thermal contact of the high heat capacity ceramic honeycomb with the walls of the fluidized bed reactor. Provisions are also made for recovering and recycling catalysts used in the gasification process.
Back-up furnace is provided for start-up procedures and for supplying heat to the fluid bed reaction zone when adequate supplies of solar energy are not available.
Claims: A solar heated gasifier apparatus ... .
Background: Coal gasification is a well known process for the conversion of coal solids into gaseous fuel. In the prior art, a fluidized bed reaction of carbon with water and some oxygen forms a mixture of methane, carbon monoxide and hydrogen. This mixture, called synthesis gas, is an easily transported fuel.
The process is known to be highly endothermic, requiring continuous massive inputs of heat to sustain a reaction. In a full-scale plant based on coal-oxygen-steam gasification, usually at least 30% of the coal is consumed in supplying needed process input heat and steam, and hence only about 70% of the coal is effectively converted to useful commercial fuel.
It would be very desirable to be able to gasify these carbonaceous materials without consuming large amounts of oxygen and the carbonaceous materials themselves during heat generation for the process.
Summary: A system for the fluidized gasification of a carbonaceous material such as coal has been provided in accordance with the invention which does not require the use of oxygen. The system operates at lower overall temperatures while providing nearly double the amount of full gas product.
Steam is also introduced into the bottom of the reactor and synthesis product gas is produced by means of the steam-carbon reaction preferably assisted by a catalyst such as an alkali metal carbonate or a molybdate such as cobalt molybdate.
The process and system of the invention provides substantially increased yield of product gas by the use of solar thermal heat to preheat the recycle product fluidizing gas and the steam before entry into the fluidized bed reaction zone."
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Such "product gas", of which we are obtaining a "substantially increased yield", "nearly double", in fact, that of conventional processes, as herein, from Coal and Steam, is, we remind you, the synthesis gas which can then be catalytically condensed into liquid hydrocarbons.
In sum, through the use of concentrated Solar heat, we can convert Coal and Steam into a synthesis gas composed only of Hydrogen and Carbon Monoxide, with almost no co-production of Carbon Dioxide.
And, further: Since we are avoiding the partial oxidation of Coal, and the subsequent losses of Carbon values through the generation of Carbon Dioxide, we are conserving Coal, by making, as above, "nearly double" the amount of hydrocarbon synthesis gas from it.
We know that Solar power is in sometimes desperately short supply in the cloudy hills of US Coal Country; but, this NASA technology does, as above, include provision for an auxiliary, presumably coal-fired, "furnace" to provide the needed heat energy "when adequate supplies of solar energy are not available".
But, further, we submit, environmentally-friendly heat energy could be obtained from electricity generated by dedicated hydro and wind power units.
In any case, as herein taught by NASA, by using environmentally-derived heat energy, we can, again, make "nearly double" the amount of hydrocarbon synthesis gas from Coal, as is generated by the better-known Coal gasification processes.
And, further, again, the co-production of Carbon Dioxide, during the hydro-gasification of Coal, is minimized.
Since this is NASA talking, we might be lulled into thinking of this technology as Space Ranger speculation.
It is not.
As revealed in the full Disclosure, it is based on precedent technology, about which we long ago reported; and, it has led apparently to even further development by the US Department of Energy.