We'll open our discussion of the United States patent on Coal liquefaction technology - - a technology designed to produce a synthetic crude petroleum, suitable for processing in standard oil refineries, from Coal, which was developed by an agency that became a part of our US Department of Energy better that thirty-five years ago, back, fittingly we think, during the bicentennial celebration of our United States independence - - with an excerpt from the very last line of the full Disclosure, after a semi-graphic analysis of the total process costs, including chemical plant labor, for, on an industrial scale, effecting that conversion of Coal into synthetic liquid petroleum:
"Total Unit Cost: 8.02 cent/gal".
In other words, since, as can be learned via:
What's In A Barrel of Oil?; a standard barrel of oil contains 42 gallons,
our US Government could have, back in 1976, when the United States Patent we bring to you herein wasawarded, enabled the production of substitute crude oil, from Coal, at acost of $3.37 per barrel.
To put that in some perspective, as can be learned via:
as of November 21, 2013, the price of West Texas Intermediate crude oil was $95.44 per barrel.
And thus, now, the cost of natural crude oil is $2.27 per gallon.We'll have a little more on that as we go along, in our discussion of excerpts from the initial link in this dispatch to:
"United States Patent 3,963,598 - Flash Hydrogenation of Coal
Patent US3963598 - Flash hydrogenation of coal - Google Patents
Date: June 15, 1976
Inventors: B. Manowitz, Meyer Steinberg, et. al., New York
(This development was made at the US Government's Brookhaven, NY, National Laboratory. And, we remind you of
another, what we see as very significant, development made there by the above Meyer Steinberg in the very same
year, as in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | USDOE 1976 Atmospheric CO2 to Methanol | Research & Development;
concerning: "United States Patent 3,959,094 - Electrolytic Synthesis of Methanol from CO2; Date: May, 1976;
Inventor: Meyer Steinberg, NY; Assignee: The USA as represented by the USDOE; Abstract: A method and
system for synthesizing methanol from the CO2 in air using electric power".
We note that specifically since we have cited Steinberg in other reports, and he figures in additional reports,
concerning the commercial development of related technologies to follow.)
Assignee: The United States Energy Research and Development Administration
(The above "ERDA" was incorporated into the US Department of Energy when it was established and began
operations in October, 1977.)
Abstract: A process for the hydrogenation of coal comprising the contacting of powdered coal with hydrogen
in a rotating fluidized bed reactor. A rotating fluidized bed reactor suitable for use in this process is also
disclosed. The coal residence time in the reactor is limited to less than 5 seconds while the hydrogen contact
time is not in excess of 0.2 seconds.
(A few things are worth noting here. First, elemental, molecular Hydrogen is required. And, as seen for just
one example in our report of:
concerning: "United States Patent 8,444,846 - Method and System for Producing Hydrogen Using Sodium Ion
Separation Membranes; Date: May 21, 2013; Inventors: Dennis Bingham, et.al., Idaho and Utah; Assignee:
Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC, Idaho Falls, ID; Abstract: A method of producing hydrogen from sodium
hydroxide and water is disclosed . ... . A system of producing hydrogen is also disclosed. Government
Interests/Government Rights: This invention was made under a Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement between Alberta Limited and Battelle Energy Alliance, LLC under
Contract No. DE- AC07-051D14517, awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy. The U.S. Government
has certain rights in the invention. The method ... wherein applying an electric potential to the
electrochemical cell comprises supplying an electric potential to the electrochemical cell from at least one of
solar power, geothermal power, hydroelectric power, wind power, and ... further comprising heating the
electrochemical cell using heat produced from reacting the sodium and the water";
we're becoming fairly adept at extracting Hydrogen from water, H2O, in energy-efficient ways.
Second, this is a process for converting Coal into hydrocarbons through direct contact with Hydrogen, in a
way similar to that disclosed in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | California Rocket Scientists Liquefy Coal | Research & Development;
concerning, in part: "United States Patent 4,243,509 - Coal Hydrogenation; 1981; Assignee: Rockwell
International Corporation, CA; Abstract: Disclosure is made of a method and apparatus for reacting
carbonaceous material such as pulverized coal with heated hydrogen to form hydrocarbon gases and
liquids suitable for conversion to fuels wherein the reaction involves injection of pulverized coal entrained
in a minimum amount of gas and mixing the entrained coal at ambient temperature with a separate source
of heated hydrogen";
in very fast, high-rate and high-productivity reactions. It doesn't rely on an intermediate Hydrogen donor
solvent, as in, for one example, our report of:
concerning, in part: "US Patent 4,189,371 - Multiple-stage Hydrogen-donor Coal Liquefaction Process; 1980;
Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering; Abstract: An increased yield of hydrogenated liquid product
is obtained from coal by treating the feed coal with a hydrogen-donor solvent and hydrogen-containing gas in
a first coal liquefaction reactor to produce a liquefaction effluent"; and: "US Patent 4,210,518 - Hydrogen-donor
Coal Liquefaction Process; 1980; Assignee: Exxon Research and Engineering Company; Abstract: Improved
liquid yields are obtained during the hydrogen-donor solvent liquefaction of coal ... . Government Interests:
The Government of the United States of America has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No.
E(49-18)-2353 awarded by the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration. Claims: A
hydrogen-donor liquefaction process for converting coal or similar carbonaceous solids into lower molecular
weight liquid hydrocarbons".)
Government Interests: This invention was made during the course of, or under a contract with the United
States Atomic Energy Commission.
(The Atomic Energy Commission itself was actually split up in 1974. Some of it's prior functions now reside
within the USDOE, others in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. .)
Claims: A process for the hydrogenation of coal to maximize the production of liquid hydrocarbons,
comprising contacting in a rotating fluidized bed substantially dry powdered coal having a particle size in the
range of about 50-500 microns with hydrogen gas at temperatures to produce a reaction temperature between
about 500 C and 800 C, at a pressure in the range of about 68 to 280 atmospheres for a coal residence time
of not in excess of five seconds and hydrogen contact time not in excess of 0.2 seconds to produce liquid
hydrocarbons, followed by rapid cooling to a temperature sufficiently low to prevent further cracking of the
liquid products.
The process ... in which said powdered coal is fluidized with said hydrogen gas and supplied to said rotating
fluidized bed and excess from said fluidized bed including the reaction products, ash, char and recycle
hydrogen gas are carried off.
The process ... in which the incoming powdered coal is fluidized with said hydrogen gas below the reaction
temperature, said bed being supplied directly with hydrogen at a sufficient temperature to conduct the
aforesaid reaction, said directly supplied hydrogen maintaining the overall fluidization of said bed and
furnishing the majority of the heat required to heat the coal.
Background and Description: Previous experimental work has shown that coal can be converted to gaseous
and liquid hydrocarbon products, such as methane, aromatic liquids, olefins, and aliphatics by means of high
temperature, high pressure contact of coal with hydrogen.
(Such) processes produce mixtures of gaseous hydrocarbons (i.e., methane) and liquid products. It is known
also that if the contact time between the hydrogen and the coal is too long, the hydrogen requirements go up
and there is produced increased amounts of lighter gas fractions (i.e., methane) and heavy oils containing a
large proportion of undistillable asphaltic constituents.
The currently developing worldwide shortage of liquid petroleum products has increased interest in the
conversion of coal to light liquid hydrocarbons suitable for use as fuels. As a result there is increasing interest
in the development of processes for the hydrogenation of coal which will improve the conversion in the amount
of liquid fractions obtained.
To carry out such a process, efforts have been undertaken to employ a fluidized bed chemical reactor in which
it is possible to react efficiently fine powdered coal with hydrogen.
In accordance with the principles of this invention it has been discovered that the production of liquid
hydrocarbon from the hydrogenation of coal can be maximized by contacting powdered coal in the particle
size range of 50 to 500 microns with hydrogen in a rotating fluidized bed under pressure in the range of about
68 to 280 atmospheres to react at a temperature in the range of 500 to 800 C for a coal contact time not more
than 5 seconds and a gas contact time no longer than 0.2 sec followed by rapid cooling to prevent further
cracking of the liquid products.
(This is, indeed, a high-pressure, high-temperature, and thus high-energy, process, much like the original,
Nobel Prize-winning Bergius process for the direct hydrogenation of Coal, about which, and it's variants,
we've reported several times, and more about which can be learned separately via:
Bergius process - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia; "The Bergius Process is a method of production of liquid
hydrocarbons for use as synthetic fuel by hydrogenation of high-volatile bituminous coal at high temperature
and pressure"; and:
Friedrich Bergius - Biography of Friedrich Bergius; "Friedrich Bergius was a German chemist and Nobel
laureate. Bergius developed a method to hydrogenate coal dust under high pressure to create gasoline and
lubricating oils known as the Bergius process".)
In an alternative embodiment of this invention, there is provided a rotating fluidized bed chemical reactor in
which powdered coal can be contacted with hydrogen to react for a suitably short period of time at very high
pressure and temperature conditions so as to maximize the production of hydrocarbon liquid products from
coal.
It is thus a principal object of this invention to provide for the improved conversion of coal to liquid hydrocarbon
products.
Table IV: Annual Unit Manufacturing Cost for Production of Aromatic Crude from Coal(:) 8.02 cent/gal."
-----------------------
We'll close our excerpts there, since the bulk of the Disclosure is given over to a rather extensive exposition
of the process and plant required, provided through illustrative examples and calculations.
And, the conclusions about costs are consistent with yet another example of Coal conversion economic
analysis from that time period, based on different Coal conversion technologies, as seen in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | 1974 Coal Liquids at $7 per Barrel | Research & Development; concerning:
"'Coal Liquefaction'; The Proceedings of the American Physical Society; Conference on Energy; April, 1974;
Harry Perry; Resources for the Future, Inc.; Washington, DC; Abstract: Two different processes were used by the Germans during World War II to produce liquid fuels in industrial quantities from coal.One such plant is in operation in South Africa. ... The current shortage of domestic clean energy sources and the very large reserves of indigenous coal have revived interest in the production of synthetic fuels from coal. ... (No) recent cost estimates have been published for producing oil from coal by either of the processes used during World War II by the Germans ... . The National Petroleum Council estimates costs of a refinery feedstock at $6.50 to $7.50 per barrel for western coals and $7.50 per barrel using eastern coals. With improvements expected in second generation plants these costs might be reduced to $6.00 per barrel ... . (The) Bureau of Mines is currently concentrating on development of the Synthoil process to convert coal into a very low-sulfur boiler fuel and has successfully operated a half ton per day unit (1.5 barrels/day). Estimates of cost of a low-sulfur boiler fuel are $4.50 to $6.75 per barrel".
The full exposition might be worth the read, and the full document is accessible at the US Patent and Trademark Office via the immensely complex link:
We will note, that, even though the estimated capital, and related, costs of the Coal mine itself were included in the calculations, we no where saw a clearly-estimated cost of Coal per ton.
Further, the equations demonstrate that the actual carbon conversion, into hydrocarbons, could be only about sixty percent of the total carbon in the raw Coal feed, which would leave an essentially cost-free carbonaceous residue, a "char", that could be further profitably employed in a process like that seen in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | Mobil Oil Converts CoalTL Residues to Hydrocarbon Syngas | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 4,583,993 - Carbon Monoxide and Hydrogen from Carbonaceous Material; 1986; Assignee: Mobil Oil Corporation; Abstract: Hydrogen and carbon monoxide are produced from coal, char or other carbonaceous material ... . A method for producing separate streams of hydrogen and carbon monoxide of relatively high purity from a char like product selected from the group consisting of coal, char product of coal solvation (and) char product of coal volatilization";
wherein the char would be converted into a "high purity" hydrocarbon synthesis gas blend of "hydrogen and carbon monoxide" suitable for the synthesis, as via the Fischer-Trospch process, of even more hydrocarbons. Or, more simply, and perhaps more cost-effectively, the Coal conversion char arising from the direct Coal hydrogenation process disclosed by our subject, "United States Patent 3,963,598 - Flash Hydrogenation of Coal", could be directed to a process like that seen in our report of:
West Virginia Coal Association | WVU Makes Cement from Coal-to-Petroleum Residues | Research & Development; concerning: "United States Patent 8,512,551 - Forming Cement as a By-Product of Coal Liquefaction; 2013; Inventor: Alfred H. Stiller, Morgantown, WV; Assignee: West Virginia University";
and therein be profitably consumed and utilized in the manufacture of commodity construction materials.
In any case, we have herein further proof that our own United States Government has had in hand for more than three decades, since back when we first began to feel the economic pain and to suffer the political consequences of what are now the OPEC nations' dominance and tyranny over global petroleum supplies, a technology whereby we could utilize our by far most abundant fossil energy resource, Coal, to domestically supply all of our own liquid hydrocarbon fuel needs - and, by the way, put a lot more Americans to work in well-paying jobs in Coal mines and synthetic petroleum production factories.
We the People, through what is now the USDOE, developed this technology; and, We the People own it.
Why, in the past three and more decades, haven't we been informed of it, and empowered to use it to reduce our international debt; to avoid costly OPEC-region wars; and, to put more of our fellow US citizens to work?