Solvent refined coal process including recycle of coal minerals

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PREPARING DEASHED SOLID AND LIQUID HYDROCARBONACEOUS FUEL FORM HYDROCARBONACEUOS FEED COAL CONTAINING ASH COMPRISING CONTACTING THE FEED COAL WITH HYDROGEN AND A SOLVENT FOR THE HYDROCARBONACEUOS MATERIAL IN THE COAL TO FORM A COAL-SOLVENT SLURRY IN CONTACT WITH HYDROGEN, PASSING THE SLURRY AND HYDROGEN THROUGH A PREHEATER FOR A RESIDENCE TIME BETWEEN 0.01 AND 0.25 HOURS, SAID PREHEATER FOR A RESIDENCE LENGTH TO DIAMETER RATIO OF AT LEAST 100 TO INHIBIT BACKMIXING SO THAT AN INCREMENT OF SAID SLURRY GRADUALLY INCREASES IN TEMPERATURE IN PASSAGE THROUGH THE PREHEATER FROM A LOW INLET TEMPERATURE TO A MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE AT THE PREHEATER OUTLET, THE MAXIMUM TEMPERATUR AT THE PREHEATER OUTLET BEING 400* TO 525*C., THE VISCOSITY OF AN INCREMENT OF THE SLURRY IN PASSAGE THROUGH THE PREHEATER INCREASING INTIALLY TO A VALUE AT LEAST 20 TIMES THE VISCOSITY OF THE SOLVENT ALONG WHEN EACH IS MEASURED AT A TEMPERATURE OF 99*C., THE VISCOSITY OF THE SLURRY WHEN MEASURED A 99*C., SUBSEQUENTLY DROPPING TO A VALUE LOWER THAN 10 TIMES THE VISCOSITY OF THE SOLVENT ALONE WHEN EACH IS MEASURED AT 99*C. AT IN CONTINUED PASSAGE THROUGH THE PREHEATER, THE VISCOSITY OF SAID SLURRY FINALLY TENDING TO INCREASE TO A VALUE GREATER THAN 10 TIMES THAT OF THE SOLVEN ALONG WHEN EACH IS MEASURED AT 99*C. AT THE EXITT TEMPERATURE OF SAID PREHEATER BUT THE SLURRY AND HYDROGEN BEING REMOVED FROM SAID PREHEATER AFTER THE RELATIVE VISCOSITY DROPS TO A VALUE BELOW 10 BUT BEFORE THE RELATIVE VISCOSITY DROPS TO A VALUE A VALUE OF 10, PASSING THE SLURRY TO A DISSOLVER MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE AT THE OUTLET OF THE PREHEATER, THE RESIDENCE THE TEMPERATURE AT THE OUTLET OF THE PREHEATER, THE RESIDENCE TIME OF SLURRY IN THE DISSOLVER BEING GREATER THAN IN THE PREHEATER, REMOVING THE SLURRY FROM THE DISSOLVER, SEPARATING FROM THE SLURRY AN ASH-CONTAINING STREAM, A GASEOUS STREAM, A FUEL PRODUCT WHICH IS LIQUID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, AND A DEASHED FUEL PRODUCT WHICH IS SOLID AT ROOM TEMPERATURE, AND RECYCLING A PORTION OF THE SEPARATED ASH TO SAID PREHEATER STEP.