In a separate dispatch today, we are sending along report of: "United States Patent: 6358041 - Heat Shield for Burner Nozzle Face; 2002; Assignee: Eastman Chemical, TN", which discloses details of a "burner nozzle for the production of synthesis gas ... consisting of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrogen from ... (a) pumpable slurry of finely particulated coal and water".
That patented technology demonstrates, as we attempt to emphasize in the report, just how highly-evolved the technology for converting Coal, through interactions with Water, into a synthesis gas suitable for catalytic condensation into hydrocarbon fuels actually is.
However, one drawback to Eastman's, and similar, technology, is that it relies on the partial oxidation of Coal to supply the necessary heat energy to convert the bulk of Coal, and Water, into hydrocarbon syngas.
Thus, some of the Carbon energy content of the Coal is consumed in the conversion process itself, and is consumed in a way that generates some, perhaps unwanted, Carbon Dioxide.
We have previously documented that such partial combustion of the Coal, with subsequent generation of Carbon Dioxide, isn't necessary. Environmental energy can be harnessed to the task of gasifying Coal and Water mixtures, and raising them to the temperatures necessary to effect the generation of syngas.
A few examples include, as recorded by the West Virginia Coal Association, our reports of:
USDOE Hydrogasifies Coal with Solar Power | Research & Development | News;
and,
NASA Hydrogasifies Coal with Solar Power | Research & Development | News.
Similar work, again as we have documented, and will further document, is being undertaken in other nations of the world, as well.
However, in this dispatch, we wanted to again demonstrate and emphasize that such technologies, for the efficient Solar-powered conversion of Coal and Water into hydrocarbon synthesis gas, are, in certain, seemingly-closed, United States government and academic circles well-known and understood.
The initial link in this dispatch leads to a United States Patent awarded to at least one university academician, with the rights being assigned to what we perceive to be a somewhat-deliberately anonymous entity operated, or at least financed, by, in conjunction, the US Departments of Energy and Defense.
First, the lead named inventor, Alan Weimer, is shown, by readily-available web-based sources, to be on the faculty of the Chemical Engineering Department at the University of Colorado.
We presume, without further researching the fact, that Weimer's co-inventors, with perhaps one exception, are on the faculty there, as well.
Of perhaps more interest is the named assignee of the rights to this invention: "Midwest Research Institute".
Somewhat surprisingly, they have a web site, which reveals:
Midwest Research Institute - About MRI - Intro; "Midwest Research Institute is an independent, not-for-profit organization that performs contract research for government and industry. Founded in 1944, MRI has built a reputation for innovation, technical excellence, and problem solving.
Today, as one of the nation’s leading research institutes, MRI conducts programs in the areas of national security and defense, life sciences, energy and the environment, agriculture and food safety, and engineering and infrastructure.
With headquarters in Kansas City, MRI also has facilities in Rockville and Frederick, MD, and Palm Bay, FL. In addition to operating its own laboratories, MRI operates laboratories for the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense."
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So, as you will see, following, a US Government "skunk works" - - make no mistake, that is exactly what "MRI", established during WWII, is - - which is funded by both the DOD and the DOE, and which conducts research for them in US Government-owned laboratories, supported research by a group of Colorado academics which resulted in the development of technology that could efficiently convert Coal, with little or no CO2 being co-produced, and with the potential for actually importing and consuming CO2 from other sources, into hydrocarbon synthesis gas.
But, as in many Coal conversion technologies developed by the Oil Industry, the US Government-supported inventors herein don't like to use that, apparently offensive, four-letter word.
They make do with the less-provocative "Carbon"; and, since some Carbon particulates are co-generated within portions of the process, but can be recycled back into it, that isn't entirely inappropriate.
But, we encourage you to, when you see generic phrases like "carbon particles", think "Coal dust".
As further illustrated, with comment appended, in our excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"United States Patent 6,872,378 - Solar Thermal Aerosol Flow Reaction Process
Date: March, 2005
Inventors: Alan W. Weimer, et. al., CO and CA
Assignee: Midwest Research Institute, Kansas City, MO
Abstract: The present invention provides an environmentally beneficial process using concentrated sunlight to heat radiation absorbing particles to carry out highly endothermic gas phase chemical reactions ultimately resulting in the production of hydrogen or hydrogen synthesis gases.
The United States Government has rights in this invention under Contract No. DE-AC3699GO10337 between the United States Department of Energy and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a division of the Midwest Research Institute.
Synthesis gas can ... be produced by the "dry reforming" of methane or the carbon reduction of water ... .
(Two things bear immediate emphasis: Such "carbon reduction of water" is synonymous with "Coal reduction of water"; and, we suggest that you think of it in the term "Steam-Coal Gasification", about which we have a number times reported; and: as we've documented in multiple earlier reports, "dry reforming" of Methane means reacting it with Carbon Dioxide.)
Claims: A method for carrying out an environmentally benign high temperature chemical reaction to produce H2 or synthesis gas for use as a "clean fuel", comprising: a) providing heat absorbing particles flowing in a gas stream comprising at least one reactant gas; b) heating said heat absorbing particles by direct solar thermal heating; c) allowing the hot particles to transfer heat to said flowing gas stream and heating said gas to a sufficiently elevated temperature for a sufficient residence time to carry out said reaction; wherein said chemical reaction is a dissociation reaction or reforming reaction.
(And) wherein said dissociation reaction dissociates natural gas to produce hydrogen gas, carbon, and residual hydrocarbon species (and) wherein the carbon particles are amorphous and have particle sizes between 20 to 40 nanometers.
(And) wherein said dissociation reaction dissociates hydrogen sulfide to produce hydrogen and sulfur.
(Folks, note: They would not have felt obliged to include the above passage, concerning the dissociation of "hydrogen sulfide" to obtain valuable byproduct Sulfur and Hydrogen, unless some Sulfur-containing raw materials were included in their conceptualized feed of "carbon particles". Any guesses as to what such raw materials might be?)
The method ... wherein said reforming reaction reforms natural gas with carbon dioxide to produce a synthesis gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
(Again, as documented herein by our own US Government: CO2 can be reacted with "natural gas" - which would include Methane, which itself can be synthesized from CO2 via the Sabatier process - and made thereby to form a "synthesis gas" which, we submit, would be amenable to Fischer-Tropsch, or related, catalytic condensation into hydrocarbon liquid and gaseous fuels.)
The method ... wherein said absorbing particles comprises carbon; and wherein said carbon particles are generated by decomposition of acetylene or natural gas.
(Rather than decompose otherwise valuable Acetylene, to make "carbon particles", why wouldn't we, why couldn't we, just grind up some Coal, instead? Note, though, that when the particles result from the decomposition of "natural gas", i.e., Methane, that decomposition is likely accomplished by reacting Methane with Carbon Dioxide to make synthesis gas, which "bi-reforming", as opposed to "tri-reforming", reactions can lead to, as we have in a number of other reports documented, such deposition of particulate carbon on catalyst surfaces.)
A method for carrying out an environmentally benign high temperature chemical reaction to produce H2 or synthesis gas (and) wherein said chemical reaction is a reduction reaction (which) water vapor with carbon to produce a synthesis gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide."
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That would pretty much sum it up. And, we urge you not to be misled by all the other technical, much of it we take to be superfluous and distracting, information and descriptions in the full Disclosure:
We can react "water vapor with carbon" i.e. Coal, and also react "natural gas", i.e., Methane, "with carbon dioxide" in related and combined processes driven by "direct solar thermal heating" to manufacture "a synthesis gas mixture of hydrogen and carbon monoxide", which synthesis gas, we again submit, can be catalytically condensed, as via, for one example, the Fischer-Tropsch technology, into liquid hydrocarbons.
And, through the "Midwest Research Institute", which is financed by the USDOD and USDOE, such technology is, we assert, owned by our United States Government - and, by extension, us.