http://digital.library.ksu.edu.sa/V14M168R872.pdf
We've made reference many times to West Virginia University's "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of Coal. And, as we've stated many times, our understanding of the Process is that, like a few other direct Coal liquefaction technologies we've reported to you, it relies on an hydrogenated version of the primary and long-known Coal oil, Naphthalene, which is most commonly referred to by the abbreviated form of it's more technical name, Tetralin, to effect the hydrogenation and liquefaction of raw Coal.
And, one of our more recent reports concerning WVU and their use of Tetralin is accessible via:
WVU Hydrogenates Coal Tar | Research & Development | News .
We've also once or twice made note of the fact that conventional petroleum refineries, in their conversion of crude oil into refined products, often wind up, after final vacuum distillation of marketable hydrocarbons, with a semi-solid highly-carbonaceous residue known as "vacuum residuals", or, most commonly, just "resid".
Resid consists mostly of Carbon in what is described as an "amorphous" form; and, from the descriptions of it's properties we've been able to find, we take it to sound very similar to Coke, as we would make it from Coal for steel refining.
We have, as well, a few times documented that some oil refiners react their "resids" with Steam, in a fashion similar to processes for the Steam gasification of Coal we have many times reported to you, and, thus, hydrogenate the Carbon in the resids to synthesize additional hydrocarbons.
Herein, via the above link and attached file, we see that, in Saudi Arabia, they have figured out a better way to hydrogenate and liquefy their petroleum refinery residuals:
They dissolve them, just as WVU dissolves Coal, with the Coal-based Hydrogen-donor solvent, Tetralin.
Comment follows excerpts from the link to, and attached file of:
"Hydrogen Transfer Cracking of Arabia Residua in Tetralin-I
Aziz M. Abu-Khalaf and D.K. Al-Harbi
King Saud University and King Fahd University, Riyadh and Dharan, Saudi Arabia
January, 2001
Abstract: Heavy Arabian vacuum residua were hydrocracked using tetralin as a hydrogen donor solvent.
Tetralin proved to be an effective donor for Arabian residua.
Heavy crudes and heavy residua (the bottom of the barrel) represent a technical challenge to the petroleum industry due to the high yield of coke and the deposition of metallic constituents. Minor volumes of the vacuum residuum are usually disposed of as road asphalt ...
The crude oil residuum is the remaining fraction after the removal of the volatile materials as a result of nondestructive distillation ... of the oil.
Upgrading conversion processes are used to convert nonvaluable materials into valuable products, such as petrochemical feedstocks, and automotive fuels.
Hydrogenation is ... desirable ... because it produces large quantities of relatively valuable liquid products.
This work is concerned with a hydrogenation upgrading route involving reacting Arabia residua with a hydrogen donor solvent (tetralin), which donates atomic hydrogen to the free radicals of the residuum thus converting it into lighter products.
Hydrogen donor materials have the ability to release hydrogen and thereby to convert heavy hydrocarbons to more valuable lower-boiling products.
(Decalin) is (a) somewhat effective (hydrogen donor solvent) whereas a mixed naphthenic-aromatic condensed-ring compound such as tetralin is much more effective.
(Note: We have previously documented use of the Coal-oil derivative, "Decalin", in Coal hydrogenation and liquefaction processes.)
Tetralin is the trade name for 1,2,3,4-Tetrahydronaphthalene.
It has been used as a hydrogen donor solvent ... in coal liquefaction.
(Strange, isn't it - that they can, in Saudi Arabia, write authoritatively about "coal liquefaction", while most of the US public in US Coal Country doesn't know anything about it?)
Conclusion: Tetralin can be considered as an effective hydrogen donor for Arabian residua."
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So, a Coal-based product can be used to help Saudi Arabia improve the productivity of her Oil refineries.