Production of hydrocarbon synthesis gas from coal

Claim 1

AN INTEGRATED CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBON FUELS FROM COAL AS A STARTING MATERIAL, INVOLVING SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS IN COMPRESSIONAL ENERGY AND IN GAS PURIFICATION COSTS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF PASSING A STREAM OF HYDROGEN CONTAINING GAS UPWARDLY THROUGH A HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE CONTAINING A MASS OF COAL PARTICLES AT A VELOCITY SUFFICIENT TO FLUIDIZE SAID MASS, MAINTAINING SAID HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE OF FROM 450* TO 650*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE OF FROM 250 TO 1500 LBS. PER SQ. IN., REACTING SAID HYDROGEN WITH SAID COAL TO PRODUCE A MAJOR PROPORTION OF LIQUID HYDROCARBONS AND A MINOR PROPORTION OF GASEOUS HYDROCARBONS TOGETHER WITH A FINELY-DIVIDED, SOLID, LOW-SULFUR CONTENT CHAR, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING SAID CHAR FROM SAID FLUIDIZED MASS AND PASSING SAID CHAR DIRECTLY INTO A GASIFICATION ZONE MAINTAINED AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND UNDER A PRESSURE LEESS THAN THAT IN SAID HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE AND RANGING FROM 300 TO 600 LBS, PER SQ. IN., WHEREBY SAID CHAR FLOWS FROM SAID HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE INTO SAID GASIFICATION ZONE BY VIRTUE OF THE DIFFERENTIAL PRESSURE BETWEEN SAID ZONES, REACTING SAID CHAR IN SAID GASIFICATION ZONE WITH STEAM TO PRODUCE A MIXTURE OF HYDROGEN AND CARBON MONOXIDE AT A PRESSURE OF FROM 300 TO 600 LBS. PER SQ. IN., SAID MIXTUE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY FREE FROM ORGANIC SULFUR AND CONTAINING ONLY SMALL AMOUNTS OF INORGANIC SULFUR, WITHOUT SUBSTANTIAL REDUCTION IN PRESSUE, PASSING SAID COMPRESSED LOW-SULFUR CONTENT HYDROGEN-CARBON MONOXIDE MIXTURE TO A FISCHER-TROPSCH REACTION ZONE, AND THEREIN ACTING SAID HYDROEN CARBON MONOXIDE MIXTURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST TO PRODUCE PREDOMINANTLY LIQUID HYDROCARBONS, PASSING ANOTHER PORTION OF SAID COMPRESSED LOW SULFUR CONTENT HYDROGEN-CARBON MONOXIDE MIXTURE TO A WATER GAS SHIFT REACTION ZONE WHEREIN THE CARBON MONOXIDE CONTENT OF SAID MIXTURE IS CONVERTED TO HYDROGEN AND CARBON DIOXIDE, SCRUBBING OUT SAID CARBON DIOXIDE FROM SAID HYDROGEN-CARBON DIOXIDE MIXTURE, AND THEN PASSING THE COMPRESSED HYDROGEN TO SAID HYDROGENATION REACTION ZONE.