Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #6412497
Our ongoing review of the available technical literature concerning the conversion of Coal into liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons has led to what, for us, is a rather startling, maybe even a disturbing, discovery.
As will become clear in some reports to follow in the near future, there was, quite obviously, a rather large, extensive and coordinated effort, sponsored - with our tax money - by the USDOE and the USDOE's precedent agencies in the late 1970's and early 1980's, to develop and refine the science and practical technology for converting Coal into liquid hydrocarbons like Gasoline and Diesel, just as the company, Sasol, has been doing in South Africa since the 1950's.
The primary vendor contracted to undertake those developments was, it seems, Exxon, under the auspices of one "umbrella" contract, "DE-FCol-77ET10069", which was administered by the USDOE, but, prior to establishment of the Department of Energy, began as "Contract No. EF-77-A-01-2893" administered by the former United States Energy Research and Development Administration - - which was assimilated into the DOE when President Jimmy Carter signed The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977.
Contract "DE-FCol-77ET10069/EF-77-A-01-
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Hires Exxon to Improve Low-Rank Coal Liquefaction | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,304,655 - Liquefaction Process; 1981; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Scale formation during the liquefaction of lower ranking coals and similar carbonaceous materials is significantly reduced and/or prevented by pretreatment with a combination of pretreating agents comprising SO2 and an oxidizing agent. It is essential to effective operation that the moisture content of the solid carbonaceous material be within the range from about 10 to about 25 wt %, based on dry solid carbonaceous material, during the pretreatment. The pretreatment is believed to convert at least a portion of the scale-forming components and particularly calcium, to the corresponding sulfate prior to liquefaction. The pretreatment may be accomplished with the combination of pretreating agents either simultaneously by using a mixture comprising SO2 and a gaseous oxidizing agent or sequentially by first treating with SO2 and then with an oxidizing agent.Government Interests: The Government of the United States of America has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. EF-77-A-01-2893 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Claims: A process for the liquefaction of a lower ranking coal or similar solid carbonaceous material comprising the steps of: adjusting the moisture content of said solid carbonaceous material ...; contacting said coal or carbonaceous material ... with gaseous SO2 and ... liquefying the thus treated coal at liquefaction conditions to produce a petroleum-like product"; and:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE Hires Exxon to Liquefy More Low-Rank Coal | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,450,066 - Pretreatment to Prevent Scale During Liquefaction of ... Carbonaceous Materials; 1984; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Scale formation during the liquefaction of lower ranking coals and similar carbonaceous materials is significantly reduced and/or prevented by hydrothermal pretreatment. The said pretreatment is believed to convert the scale-forming components to the corresponding carbonate prior to liquefaction.Government Interests: The Government of the United States of America has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-FC01-77ET10069 (formerly Contract No. EF-77-A-01-2893) awarded by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration, now the U.S. Department of Energy".
Again, as will be seen in reports to follow, there was a large, patented body of Coal liquefaction technology, above and beyond United States Patents "4,304,655 - Liquefaction Process" and "4,450,066 - Pretreatment to Prevent Scale During Liquefaction of ... Carbonaceous Materials", established, primarily by Exxon, during the course of USDOE Contract No. DE-FC01-77ET10069, formerly ERDA Contract No. EF-77-A-01-2893.
Disturbingly, however, insofar as we have been able to determine through multiple searches of the United States Governments "Energy Citations" database, no final report, nor even any progress reports, arising from Contract DE-FC01-77ET10069 are available from or accessible in the US Government online libraries.
We'll return to that topic following exposition of the core of our report herein, i.e.:
Some of Exxon's key Coal conversion scientists, including at least one of those named as an inventor in our earlier reports cited above, and as key Exxon investigators under Contract DE-FC01-77ET10069, and in our reports concerning Exxon to follow, as well as key Coal conversion scientists from other organizations, were involved in what seems to have been another Government-funded effort that appears to have proceeded almost concurrently with Contract DE-FC01-77ET10069, that is, an in-depth review and assessment of available and established Coal conversion science and technologies, with the apparent goals of identifying the best available technologies and defining a strategic pathway by which those technologies could be implemented, perhaps to establish a strategic liquid hydrocarbon fuel self sufficiency for the United States of America.
As seen in excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch, with two additional links and excerpts following:
"COAL SCIENCE VOLUME 1
January, 1982
OSTI ID: 6412497
Editors: M.L. Gorbaty, J.W. Larsen, I. Wender
(We note that we have cited at least a couple of the authors/editors previously.
Irving Wender might be of special note. As can be learned via:
Wender, Irving; "Irving Wender ... is an American chemical engineer noted for his pioneering improvements in the chemistry of coal combustion. He was a leader in the conversion of coal to liquids and chemicals by indirect liquefaction (via gasification of coal to synthesize gas) and by novel methods of direct coal liquefaction, including the co-processing of coal and heavy oils. He discovered the first transition metal-acetylene complex that improved the efficiency of coal conversion, and he synthesized a number of others that helped lead to the explosive growth of the field of organometallic chemistry. He also was the director of the Office of Advanced Research and Technology Development, Special Executive Service, and Fossil Energy in Washington, D.C. (1980)";
he has had an exemplary, and very long, career as a student of Coal science. By last reports an honored professor at the University of Pittsburgh, we have made previous report of his accomplishments, as, for one example, seen in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Pittsburgh USBM Hydrogenates Coal with CO & H2O | Research & Development; concerning: "The Hydrogenation of Coal with Carbon Monoxide and Water; Herbert R. Appell and Irving Wender; Pittsburgh Coal Research Center, Bureau of Mines; The hydrogenation of coal with carbon monoxide and water was reinvestigated with the objective of preparing an oil which could then be converted to more volatile fuels by known hydrocracking techniques";
which dispatch figures in on one important facet of the project we bring to your attention herein, as we note in closing comments.
And, we've also cited Exxon's Martin Gorbaty, as, for one example, in:
West Virginia Coal Association | Exxon Gasifies Coal, and Steam-Gasifies the Char | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 5,055,181 - Hydropyrolysis-Gasification of Carbonaceous Material; 1991; Inventors: Peter Maa, LA, and Martin Gorbaty, NJ; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Disclosed is a process for obtaining liquids and gases from carbonaceous material, such as coal".
Online references indicate that J.W, Larsen is, or was, a Coal science specialist on the faculty of the Chemistry Department at Bethlehem, Pennsylvania's Lehigh University.)
Publisher: Academic Press, New York, NY
(The publisher, "Academic Press", later relocated to Florida; and, now, no longer appears to be in business. However, as can be learned via the link:
http://pittcat.pitt.edu/cgi-
Abstract: Coal conversion technology and coal utilization improvements will come with more fundamental knowledge of coal in terms of its structure and reactivity. Coal science embraces many scientific disciplines including chemistry, physics, and engineering. This is the first in a series devoted to presenting and evaluating selected fundamental scientific areas involved with the understanding of coal structure, reactivity, and utilization. Included are reviews describing current state-of-the-art knowledge of coal's organic and physical structure, and contributions on plasticity mechanisms and reductive alkylation chemistry covering some important aspects of coal reactivity. New spectroscopic instrumentation has been developed which may help answer questions on coal structure and reactivity. An article on magnetic resonance studies of coal illustrates the power of this technique now and for the future."
Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #5173114
"COAL SCIENCE VOLUME 2
January, 1983
OSTI ID: 5173114
Editors: M.L. Gorbaty, J.W. Larsen, I. Wender
Publisher: Academic Press,New York, NY
Abstract: This is the second volume in a series presenting reviews on coal structure, reactivity and utilization. Reviews contained in this volume cover the science of mineral matter in coal, the chemistry of hydrogen donor solvents, the role of nonconvalent bonding in coal and solvent extraction of coal. Separate abstracts have been prepared for each article."
Energy Citations Database (ECD) - - Document #7052435
"COAL SCIENCE VOLUME 3
January, 1984
OSTI ID: 7052435
Authors: M.L. Gorbaty, J.W. Larsen, I. Wender
Publisher: Academic Press, Orlando, FL
Abstract: The book presents papers on coal science. Topics covered include the following: Fischer-Tropsch synthesis and some related heterogeneous reactions; the organic geochemistry of coal; oxygen in coals and coal derived liquids; and coal conversion in carbon monoxide-water systems."------------------------
Since the above abstract mentions "coal conversion in carbon monoxide-water systems", as per the Irving Wender USBM report, "The Hydrogenation of Coal with Carbon Monoxide and Water", cited in our opening comments, and the lead-named editor, Gorbaty, is, or was, an Exxon scientist, we remind you of our report:
West Virginia Coal Association | Exxon Hydrogenates Coal with Water and Carbon Monoxide | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 5,026,475 - Coal Hydroconversion Process; 1991; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: An improved process for the hydroconversion of coal comprising pretreating coal in an aqueous carbon monoxide-containing environment, followed by extracting a soluble hydrocarbon material from the coal, and subsequently hydroconverting the extracted material in a hydroconversion reactor. The extracted material consists of a relatively hydrogen-rich material which is readily converted to valuable liquid products in high yield. The residue from the extraction stage is relatively hydrogen deficient material which can be gasified to produce hydrogen and carbon monoxide for the hydroconversion and pretreatment stages, respectively".
The entire three-volume set of books would appear to be a pretty thorough, albeit three decades-old, overview of Coal conversion science and industry.
It should have been a best seller in Coal Country when it first came out, and, maybe by now we should be able to buy the new and revised version.
But, as in our opening comments, we did want to note that, as in our above-cited reports concerning "United States Patent 4,450,066 - Pretreatment to Prevent Scale During Liquefaction of ... Carbonaceous Materials"; "United States Patent 4,304,655 - Liquefaction Process", and the USDOE "Contract No. DE-FC01-77ET10069 (formerly Contract No. EF-77-A-01-2893) with Exxon that led to them, and with reports of other US Patents that issued from that project to follow, as can be learned via:
GPO Federal Library Directory (FDLD); the West Virginia University downtown campus library, in Morgantown, WV, is designated as a "Regional Depository Library" for the Federal Government Printing Office - - -
(Federal Depository Library Program; "The Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress to ensure that the American public has access to its Government’s information. GPO administers the FDLP on behalf of the participating libraries and the public. Information products from the Federal Government are disseminated to these nationwide libraries that, in turn, ensure the American public has free access to the materials, both in print and online.")
- - - and should have, or be able to print from electronic records, a copy of the final report of USDOE "Contract No. DE-FC01-77ET10069" for any interested Coal Country journalist motivated enough to make inquiry; that, in addition to the hard copy of our subject herein, COAL SCIENCE, which is supposed to be held at, or can be made available by, the University of Pittsburgh's Hillman Library.