We yet again cite the former Texaco Corporation, now a component of Chevron, in demonstration of the fact that any Hydrogen, which might be required for the hydrogenation of Coal's content of Carbon in order to synthesize more versatile hydrocarbons, can be generated as an integral function of the Coal conversion process itself.
That fact is made clear in our excerpts, with comment appended, from:
"United States Patent 4,523,986 - Liquefaction of Coal
June, 1985
Inventor: Frederick Seufert, NY
Assignee: Texaco Development Corporation, NY
Abstract: Coal or similar solid carbonaceous fuels are liquefied by catalytic hydrogenation of coal-liquid hydrocarbon oil slurries with a hydrogen-rich gas. Both the liquid hydrocarbon slurrying oil and the hydrogen-rich gas are derived in the process. Noxious hydrogen-containing purge and vent gases and optionally high ash-containing bottoms from a vacuum fractionator are used as feed to a partial oxidation gas generator to produce synthesis gas from which the hydrogen-rich gas is derived.
Claims: A process for the liquefaction of ground coal or similar liquefiable carbonaceous solids which comprises:
Reacting a preheated slurry mixture comprising dried ground coal or similar liquefiable carbonaceous solids and liquid hydrocarbon slurry oil (as specified), and at least a portion of the hydrogen-rich gas from (a specified step in the process) while in contact with a hydrogenation catalyst in a liquefaction zone ... ;
(And) separating the effluent stream from the liquefaction zone ... into at least the following separate streams by the steps of: introducing the effluent stream from the liquefaction zone ... into a separation zone and separating said effluent stream into the stream of hydrogen-containing gas mixture and a stream of liquid hydrocarbon;
(And) separating a portion of hydrogen-rich gas from said hydrogen-containing gas mixture ... to produce a recycle stream of hydrogen-rich gas, and introducing the remainder of the hydrogen-containing gas mixture into the partial oxidation gas generating zone ... as a portion of the feed.
The process ... provided with the steps of removing coarse slag from the water used to quench cool and scrub the hot raw effluent gas stream ... and thereby providing a dispersion of water and carbon-containing solids, and recycling at least a portion of said dispersion ... to said partial oxidation gas generating zone as a portion of the feed.
The process ... wherein said coal or similar liquefiable carbonaceous solids is selected from the group consisting of bituminous coal, sub-bituminous coal, anthracite coal, lignite, tar sands, oil shale, peat, and mixtures thereof.
The process ... wherein the hydrogen-rich gas ... comprises 95.0 mole % hydrogen, or higher.
Background: This invention relates to a process for liquefying coal or similar solid carbonaceous fuels. More particularly, this invention relates to a coal liquefaction process employing process derived hydrogen-rich gas made by the partial oxidation of purge and vent hydrogen-containing gases, optionally in admixture with a vacuum bottom stream containing ash.
Coal will emerge as an increasingly important energy source by the end of the decade. It has been predicted that by 1990, the consumption of coal among western industrialized nations will have grown by 47%. There are ample coal supplies in the United States, Canada, and Australia to meet this growing demand. Liquefaction of coal to produce liquid fuels and chemical by-products will become increasingly important, especially when petroleum supplies become uncertain.
Advantageously, by the subject process catalytic steam reforming requiring costly gas purification steps is eliminated. Noxious vent and purge gas streams and optionally high ash-containing vacuum bottom streams may now dispersion of water and carbon-containing solids."
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In other words, as we have already from other sources documented, "catalytic steam reforming", as above, is a technology which can be employed to provide the Hydrogen needed for a Coal hydrogenation process.
The need for such use of Steam, however, which, according to Texaco, requires "costly gas purification" is, herein, "eliminated".
We can co-generate a gas consisting of at least "95.0 mole % hydrogen" by recycling, within the system, "vent and purge gas"; and, additionally, by utilizing "ash-containing vacuum bottom streams", to create a "dispersion of water and carbon-containing solids and recycling at least a portion of" it to the "partial oxidation gas generating zone".
In sum, we can, as herein affirmed by our own United States Government, utilize "coal to produce liquid fuels"; and, we don't, according to Texaco herein, need anything but, perhaps, some additional Water to accomplish such production of "liquid fuels", from Coal; a fact which should "become increasingly important, especially when petroleum supplies become uncertain".
In closing, we must ask: Just how "uncertain" does the supply of petroleum have to get before the fact that we can "produce liquid fuels" from Coal doesn't just "become increasingly important", but, becomes important enough that we actually start doing something with it?