Process for producing high purity hydrogen from hydrocarbon gas and steam
We haven't recently cited our local Consolidation Coal Company's brilliant Coal conversion and liquefaction scientist, Everett Gorin; who went on, subsequent to Consol's acquisition by Continental Oil, as we've documented, to develop additional Coal liquefaction technology for Conoco.
In any case, from the same year Gorin was awarded, as we once earlier documented, the American Chemical Society's Henry Storch Award, for advancements in fuel chemistry, we see that Gorin, and Consol, had established a technology for converting Coal into Gasoline, and doing so at a cost that was more than directly competitive with the then-current costs of conventional Gasoline made from petroleum.
As an aside, we note that Gorin was actually just the second recipient of the Storch Award.
The very first one, in 1964, was given to another Coal scientist whom we have previously cited: Dr. Irving Wender, of the Pittsburgh, PA, USBM Coal Research Center.
And, the US Patent we report herein was awarded to Gorin only one month after another Patent, as documented in:
Consol 1965 CoalTL | Research & Development | News; which contains details of: "United States Patent 3,184,401 - Hydrogen-Enriched Products from Coal; May, 1965; Inventor: Everett Gorin; Assignee: Consolidation Coal Company, Pittsburgh; Abstract: This invention relates to an improved process for producing hydrogen-enriched hydrocarbonaceous products from coal"; was issued to him.
In any case, all the way back in 1965, Consolidation Coal asserted, with official US Government confirmation of the fact, that we could convert our abundant Coal into Gasoline at a cost that was directly competitive with, or even a little better than, the cost, even then, of making Gasoline from conventional petroleum sources.
And, another very important, even critical, fact concerning Coal hydrogenation and liquefaction, as we will emphasize, along with other issues, in brief comment following, is revealed and confirmed in our excerpts from the initial link to:
"US Patent 3,188,179 - Producing High-Purity Hydrogen from Hydrocarbon Gas and Steam
Date: June, 1965
Inventor: Everett Gorin, Pittsburgh
Assignee: Consolidation Coal Company, PA
Abstract: This invention relates to a process for the conversion of coal to hydrocarbonaceous products.
More particularly, this invention relates to a process for the conversion of coal to hydrocarbonaceous liquids suitable for conversion to gasoline in a conventional gasoline refining plant.
As a result of my research I have now developed an economic process for the conversion of coal to gasoline.
Via the process of my invention, gasoline may be obtained from coal at a cost of less than about 14 cents per gallon. In comparison, gasoline is produced from petroleum at a cost of about 14 to 15 cents per gallon.
Normally, a substantial amount of high purity hydrogen is required to convert coal to gasoline, consequently the cost of hydrogen frequently determines the success or failure of a particular coal conversion process.
In ... U.S. Patent 3,108,857 ... a novel economic process for continuously producing high purity hydrogen is described. I have found that this hydrogen production process is uniquely applicable for integration with a particular coal conversion process whereby coal may be economically converted to hydrocarbonaceous products such as gasoline.
Several by-products produced in the over-all coal conversion process are employed in the hydrogen production process to produce the hydrogen needed to convert the coal.
The primary object of this invention is to provide an economic process for converting coal to gasoline wherein the hydrogen utilized therein is produced from by-products obtained from individual unit process steps in the coal conversion process.
(As we have many times documented, the Hydrogen needed, to hydrogenate the Carbon content of Coal, and thereby form desired hydrocarbons, can be generated in an integrated function within the total "coal conversion process".)
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel process for converting coal to ... gasoline.
In accordance with my invention, coal is initially subjected to solvent extraction to produce a mixture of extract and undissolved coal (the undissolved coal is ... referred to as residue).
(Note, though not reflected in our excerpts, Gorin names "Tetralin", the hydrogenated version of the primary Coal oil, Naphthalene, which is key to WVU's "West Virginia Process" for the direct liquefaction of Coal, as the preferred substance to use in the initial "solvent extraction" of Coal.)
The residue is ... then carbonized ... to yield char and a distillate tar.
At least a portion of the extract and the distillate tar are subsequently reacted with hydrogen in a conventional hydrocracking zone to yield ... (off-gas, and) hydrocarbonaceous liquid products ... (which) are suitable for final conversion to gasoline in a conventional gasoline refining plant.
(A) portion of the off-gas is introduced in admixture with steam to a hydrogen production zone (where it) reacts with steam ... to yield high-purity hydrogen.
Claims: A process for producing high purity hydrogen."
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In point of fact, included schematics reveal that this is actually a "process" not just for making such "high purity hydrogen", as, actually, a by-product of a primary, direct Coal liquefaction process, but, as well, for utilizing such Hydrogen in the production, from Coal, of "gasoline refiner feedstock".
One important thing to be made note of, as suggested in our introductory comments, and as we emphasized in our inserted comments, is that an external source of Hydrogen isn't required by this integrated, nearly-half-century-old, Coal-to-Gasoline technology.
All of the Hydrogen needed is generated "from by-products obtained from individual unit process steps in the" total "coal conversion process".
But, we must note, that, in the secondary Steam-gasification of the initial solvent extraction residues, which generates needed Hydrogen, some Carbon Dioxide is co-produced; which, Gorin posits to be bound by a CO2 "acceptor", essentially Calcium Oxide, lime, which can then be thermally regenerated with the release of the bound CO2.
In light of: March, 2011, CO2-to-Methanol US Patent Awarded | Research & Development | News; wherein is reported: "USP 7,906,559 - Conversion of Carbon Dioxide to Methanol and/or Dimethyl Ether; 2011"; along with other, similar, reports we have submitted to you, we think that's a dandy thing.
We can utilize the CO2 by-product of US Patent 3,188,179, as herein, which converts Coal into "gasoline refiner feedstock", as the raw material to make the nearly-precious alcohol, Methanol, and, the substitute Diesel fuel, Dimethyl Ether, via the process of US Patent 7,906,559.
Would such utilization of any by-product CO2, do you suppose, reduce even further the real, effective cost of the "14 cents per gallon" Gasoline, as made herein, via Consol's process, from Coal?