Upgrading low rank coals as fuel

Claim 2

The process of claim 1 further comprising: removing a fluid effluent including coal-derived oil and vaporized water from said contacting zone, recovering said coal-derived oil from the remainder of said fluid effluent in sufficient quantity for recycle to said contacting zone in oil balance, and introducing said coal-derived oil into said contacting zone at said temperature.

Claim 3

The process of claim 1 further comprising contacting said char product with steam so as to steam strip such char product.

Claim 4

A process for upgrading subbituminous or lower rank coal as fuel, which comprises: continuously introducing said coal in lump form and at ambient temperature into a contacting zone at a coal inlet point near a first end of said zone, continuously introducing a stream of inert hydrogen-poor hydrocarbonaceous heat transfer fluid at least partially in liquid phase into said contacting zone at a fluid inlet point remote from said coal inlet and near a second end of said zone, said hot heat transfer fluid having a temperature of from about 650* F. to about 1000* F., passing said coal and said heat transfer fluid in countercurrent contact through said contacting zone in the substantial absence of molecular hydrogen both to progressively cool said heat transfer fluid, until such fluid near said coal inlet has a predetermined temperature lower than its temperature at said fluid inlet, and to progressively heat said coal, until such coal, near said fluid inlet, has been transformed to a char product in lump form which is substantially free of water, continuously withdrawing heat transfer fluid from said contacting zone near said first end, and continuously withdrawing char product in lump form from said contacting zone near said second end of said contacting zone.

Claim 5

The process of claim 5 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous heat transfer fluid has a hydrogen to carbon ratio of from about 0.5 to about 1.5.

Claim 6

The process of claim 5 wherein said contacting zone is operated at substantially atmospheric pressure.

Claim 7

The process of claim 7 wherein said hydrocarbonaceous heat transfer fluid is a coal-derived oil having a hydrogen to carbon ratio of from about 0.7 to about 1.4.

Claim 8

The process of claim 8, further comprising recovering said oil from said first end of said contacting zone in sufficient quantity for recycle in fluid balance to said second end of said contacting zone.

Claim 9

The process of claim 9, wherein said oil introduced into second end of said contacting zone has a temperature within the range from about 750* F. to about 900* F.

Claim 10

The process of claim 7 further comprising: passing said hot char from said contacting zone, into a cooling zone under non-oxidizing conditions, and, contacting said hot char in said cooling zone under non-oxidizing conditions with a predetermined quantity of water effective to reduce the temperature of said char to no greater than about 300* F. and to generate steam as a stripping agent for said char in said cooling zone.

Claim 11

The process of claim 11 further comprising passing said steam from said cooling zone into said contacting zone for countercurrent contact with said coal passing therethrough effective to transfer at least a portion of the heat of said steam to said coal.