Process for the liquefaction of coal and separation of solids from the liquid product

Claim 1

A process for producing hydrocarbonaceous liquid products from coal which comprises the steps of: (a) contacting the coal, at a temperature of from about 150° C. to about 450° C. and a pressure of from about 10 to about 300 atmospheres with a hydrogenated coal oil solvent having been hydrogenated to remove at least about 80% of the asphaltenes and hydrogen; (b) separating gas from the resultant mixture to provide a liquid phase comprising coal extract, a partially spent coal oil solvent and finely divided solid particles; (c) supplying said liquid phase, including substantially all of said partially spent coal oil solvent, to a pre-mix zone and therein commingling the same with from about 10 weight percent to about 1000 weight percent of a light aromatic solvent selected from the group consisting of benzene, toluene and xylene at a temperature of from about 10° C. to about 150° C., a pressure of from about atmospheric to about 25 atmospheres and a weight ratio of unreacted coal oil solvent to light aromatic solvent of from about 0.1 to about 1000; (d) introducing the mixture from the pre-mix zone to a separation zone and therein separating a solid ash from the admixed liquids; (e) thereafter removing said light aromatic solvent from said admixed liquids in a solvent recovery zone; (f) removing an ash-free hydrocarbon stream from said solvent recovery zone and hydrogenating at least a portion thereof to form a hydrogenated coal oil with at least 80% of the asphaltenes removed therefrom; and (g) supplying at least a portion of said hydrogenated coal oil to step (a) as said asphaltene-free hydrogenated coal oil solvent.