Hydrocracking of coal in molten zinc iodide

Abstract

Abstract COAL IS CONTINUOUSLY HYDROCRACKED IN SUSPENSION IN A CONTINUOUS-PHASE MOLTEN SALT PREDOMINATING IN ZINC IODIDE, AT A TEMPERATURE OF FROM ABOUT 300* C. TO AVOUT 500*C. AND UNDER A PRESSURE OF FROM ABOUT 200 P.S.I.G. TO ABOUT 3000 P.S.I.G. THE MOLTEN ZINC IODIDE CONTAINS A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF ALKALI METAL IODIDE AS A MELTING POINT DEPRESENT, SUFFICIENT TO LOWER THE MELTING POINT FROM ABOUT 446* C., THE NORMAL MELTING POINT OF ZINC IODIDE, TO SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW 350* C. THE MOLTEN ZINC IODIDE CATALYST ALSO CONTAINS AMMONIA, AMMONIUM IODIDE AND WATER, IN SMALL PROPORTIONS, RESULTING FROM HYDROCRACKING THE COAL, ALL OF WHICH ARE ALSO MELTING POINT DEPRESENTS FOR ZINC IODIDE. THE SLURRY OF COAL IN THE MOLTEN CATALYST SYSTEM IS PREPARED BY FIRST SLURRYING GROUP COAL IN AT LEAST 12 TO ABOUT 25-FOLD PROPORTIONS BY WEIGHT MOLTEN IODIDE SALT MIXTURE PREDOMINATING IN ZINC IODIDE AND CONTAINING ALKALI METAL IODIDE. THE RESULTING SLURRY OF COAL IN THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE IS THEN CONCENTRATED BY SEPARATING A PORTION, AT LEAST ONE-THIRD, OF THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE, TO PROVIDE A STILL PUMPABLE SLURRY OF COAL IN MOLTEN SALT, WHICH IS THE CHARGE TO THE HYDROCRACKING ZONE. THE SEPARATED EXCESS MOLTEN SALT IS RECYCLED TO THE PRIMARY SLURRY ING OPERATION TO PROVIDE A PORTION OF THE MOLTEN SALT FOR SLURRYING THE COAL. THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE WITHDRAWN FROM THE HYDROCRACKING OPERATION IS SEPARATED FROM VOLATILE AND NORMALLY LIQUID PRODUCTS OF THE REACTION, AND A MAJOR PROPORTION THEREOF IS RECYCLED TO THE PRIMARY SLURRYING STEP. A MINOR PROPORTION OF THE MOLTEN SALT MIXTURE IS EXTRACTED WITH AN AROMATIC SOLVENT TO REMOVE RESULTING TRA-LIKE MATERIAL AND THEN FILTERED TO REMOVE SOLIDS, AFTER WHICH THE SEPARATED MOLTEN SALT IS RECYCLED TO THE PRIMARY SLURRYING OPERATION.

Inventors

• 👤 R Loth

Bibliographic Details