Process for producing fluid fuel from coal

Claim 1

A process for producing fluid hydrocarbon fuel from coal, comprising the steps of a. forming a slurry of finely divided, moisture-free coal and a hydrogen-donor solvent; b. heating said slurry to an elevated temperature up to about 850° F.; c. charging the heated slurry into a drum wherein said coal is further contacted with said hydrogen-donor solvent to raise the temperature of the mass in the drum to between about 650° F. and 800° F.; d. maintaining the pressure within said drum at an elevated pressure no greater than about 150 psig while extracting hydrocarbons from said coal; e. during said extracting, adding hydrocarbon vapor at an elevated temperature up to about 900° F. thereby to agitate said mass within said drum and to further heat it; f. depressurizing said drum to flash off the hydrocarbons while providing the latent heat of vaporization required for the volatilization of said hydrocarbons; g. withdrawing fluid hydrocarbon products from said drum; h. fractionating said fluid hydrocarbons withdrawn from said drum to form at least three cuts comprising a light cut hydrocarbon product, a medium cut hydrocarbon product having a boiling range of 450° F. to 750° F. and a heavy cut hydrocarbon product; i. adding to said drum a hydrocarbon fraction at a temperature sufficient to heat the contents of said drum to about 850° F. to 900° F. in a quantity, for a time and at a pressure sufficient to crack at least a portion of the hydrocarbons extracted from said coal and remaining in said drum and to coke the residual solids in said drum thereby to produce additional fluid hydrocarbon products; j. removing said additional fluid hydrocarbon products from said drum and adding them to said fluid hydrocarbons of step (g); k. decoking said drum to remove the coked residue therefrom.