Gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels
We enclose, in this dispatch, via links and files, two closely-related and identically-labeled United States Patents, both issued more than one half of a century ago to the Pittsburgh region's Consolidation Coal Company, and one of which we might have reported to you previously.
The lead named inventor is Everett Gorin, Consol's accomplished Coal conversion scientist whom we have already cited for you many times.
We have also many times documented the fact that Coal can be converted into Methane, through controlled reaction with Steam; and, that Hydrogen can also be generated by such Coal hydro-gasification.
Consol and at least one branch of our US Government, the Patent Office, confirm those facts to be true in the two patents we enclose herein; along with one other, portentous, bit of information, i.e.:
Not only can Coal be converted into both Hydrogen and Methane, through processes of Steam gasification, but: through an integrated system of Carbon capture, the transformation can be accomplished with essentially no co-production of Carbon Dioxide.
We attempt to summarize and clarify those facts, and their implications, and to emphasize another important bit of information, throughout and following our excerpts from the initial and following links in this dispatch, and their corresponding attached files, which reveal details of:
"United States Patent 2,654,661 - Gasification of Carbonaceous Solid Fuels
Date: October, 1953
Inventor: Everett Gorin, PA
Assignee: Consolidation Coal Company, Pittsburgh
Abstract: This invention relates to the gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels, and particularly to the production of hydrogen or high B.t.u. gas from such fuels.
In application Serial No, 99,561, filed June 16, 1949, a process for the gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels by reaction between steam and solid fuels in the presence of calcium oxide is described.
A gaseous product is obtained which contains methane and hydrogen in varying relative proportions depending upon the particular temperature and pressure conditions.
The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved two-vessel system for converting carbonaceous solid fuels into gas under substantially thermoneutral conditions.
Another object of this invention is ... making a high B.t.u. fuel gas which is rich in methane.
A further object of the present invention is ... converting solid fuels into a gas which is rich in hydrogen.
Still another object of this invention is (to gasify) carbonaceous solid fuels in which the gaseous products are substantially free of carbon dioxide.
(Note: Some Carbon Dioxide is co-generated; but, it is posited to be captured with Calcium Oxide; which, again, has implications we address in summary comments. - JtM)
In accordance with my invention, a two-vessel system is employed to convert carbonaceous solid fuels to a gas containing primarily methane and/or hydrogen as desired."
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Gorin and Consol go on to explain how the proportions of Methane and Hydrogen in the final product can be adjusted, or the production focused on just one or the other, by controlling the amount of Steam initially utilized in the Coal gasification; and/or, by reacting more Steam with some of the Methane that is produced.
Concerning the implications for Carbon Dioxide co-production, we note that Gorin, as excerpted from above, makes reference to: "application Serial No, 99,561, filed June 16, 1949, a process for the gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels by reaction between steam and solid fuels in the presence of calcium oxide".
That application did mature into a United States Patent, as we see via the link to, and excerpts from, the identically-tiled and, in places, very similarly-worded:
Gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels
"United States Patent 2,654,663 - Gasification of Carbonaceous Solid Fuels
Date: October, 1953
Inventor: Everett Gorin, PA
Assignee: Consolidation Coal Company, Pittsburgh
Abstract: This invention relates to the gasification of carbonaceous solid fuels, and particularly to the production of hydrogen or high B.t.u. gas from such fuels.
The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved two-vessel system for converting carbonaceous solid fuels into gas under substantially thermoneutral conditions.
Another object of this invention is ... making a high B.t.u. fuel gas which is rich in methane.
A further object of the present invention is ... converting solid fuels into a gas which is rich in hydrogen.
Still another object of this invention is (to gasify) carbonaceous solid fuels in which the gaseous products are substantially free of carbon dioxide.
(Some of the Methane can be reacted with more Steam, and all) or part of the hydrogen from the methane-steam reaction vessel ... is circulated through the bed of carbonaceous solid fuels (in a separate) vessel. If it is desired to produce only a high B.t.u. gas from the system, in preference to substantially pure hydrogen, then part of the methane-containing gas is recycled to the hydrogen generator for manufacturing hydrogen, all of which is then returned to the solid fuel hydro-generator vessel.
If it is desired to produce hydrogen-rich gas, then only a part of the hydrogen produced in the hydrogen generator is circulated to the hydrogenator and all of the methane produced in the latter is recycled to the hydrogen generator.
I have found that either hydrogen or a high B.t.u. gas containing methane in substantial quantities may be produced at will and under conditions such that the overall process is exothermic.
(And, consequently, a) more than adequate supply of heat is assured.
In (one) specific embodiment of my invention ... my new process is applied to the carbonaceous solid residue obtained by the low temperature carbonization of hydrocarbonaceous solid fuels, such as the high-volatile bituminous coal found in the Pittsburgh seam.
This residue ... (is referred) to as "char".
It is to be understood, however, that the process is generally applicable to any carbonaceous solid fuels (including) all ranks of coal ... .
In one of the embodiments ... I use heat evolved in the solid fuel hydrogenator to preheat the steam which is circulated to the hydrogen generator."
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We feel obliged to close our excerpts here so that some facts can be illuminated and emphasized.
First, note, again, that the carbonaceous residues left by some primary processes of Coal conversion, "char", can themselves be further processed for the extraction of more hydrocarbon values.
The "low temperature carbonization", as above, or "LTC", is a label which can be applied to a number of "indirect" Coal conversion processes, wherein Coal is initially gasified, we have previously documented for you.
Those would include the US Bureau of Mines "Karrick" process, for instance, and the "COED" technology, which was reduced to practice at a pilot plant in New Jersey.
If you recall earlier of our posts, you will know that the still-carbonaceous residues from the COED pilot plant, operated by FMC Corporation, among others, was sent to Spain for further hydrocarbon extraction utilizing the hydrogen donor solvent, Tetralin, an hydrogenated version of the primary Coal oil, Naphthalene, which is, we believe, specified by WVU for use in their "West Virginia Process" for direct Coal liquefaction.
Herein, in confirmation of even other of our reports, we see that, instead, such still-carbonaceous Char, resulting from an indirect Coal conversion process, can be further gasified with Steam, and made to produce both Hydrogen and Methane for use in other Coal hydrogenating aspects of the system.
Hydrogen and Methane can, it seems, for instance, be included in the Steam and other gases with which raw Coal is initially gasified, to improve the mix of products arising from that initial gasification.
We submit, however, that a better use could be found for both.
First, though not reflected in our excerpts, some, a quite surprisingly small amount, if we read the data correctly, of Carbon Dioxide is co-generated in the Consol processes disclosed herein; and, Consol posits that such CO2 can be extracted from the desired products by use of proper absorbents.
Those sorbents are later regenerated through a process that releases the captured Carbon Dioxide.
We submit and suggest that the Carbon Dioxide could then be reacted with some of the Methane that is produced by Consol's technology, in a "bi-reforming" or "tri-reforming" process, such as explained and described, as we've documented, most lately by scientists such as Chunsan Song and Craig Grimes at Penn State University; and, made thereby to synthesize valuable liquid fuel products, such as Methanol.
Further, some of the Hydrogen that is generated by these Consol Coal conversion technologies could be utilized to hydrogenate the primary Coal oil, Naphthalene, as in our comments above; and, made thereby to synthesize the Hydrogen-donor solvent, Tetralin - again as used by WVU, and others, for the direct liquefaction and hydrogenation of Coal.
Moreover, such Hydrogen could be employed in more standard, or conventional, petroleum refinery-type "hydrotreating" processes, to upgrade synthetic crude oils that can be extracted from Coal via numerous, long-known coking technologies.
And, even the Carbon residues left by such coking could then be either hydro-gasified, according to the Consol technologies herein; or, again, liquefied and hydrogenated directly with Tetralin.
In any case, our local Consolidation Coal Company laid, as seen herein, the foundations for all of those potentials more than one half of a century ago.
When, do you suppose, we might actually start building on those now almost-ancient foundations?