Solvent refined coal process

Claim 1

A process for producing an upgraded material which is solid and/or semi-solid at room temperature having a substantially lower ash, sulfur and nitrogen content from coal containing from about 0.1 to about 30 weight percent ash, from about 0.25 to about 2.5 weight percent nitrogen and from about 0.3 to about 10 weight percent sulfur consisting essentially in the steps of (1) subjecting a slurry composed of said coal containing ash, nitrogen and sulfur and a solvent containing donatable hydrogen, together with hydrogen, to substantially catalyst-free hydrogenation conditions in a first hydrogenation zone wherein the temperature is in the range of about 343° to about 510° C., the pressure is in the range of about 500 to about 5000 psig, the solvent to coal weight ratio is in the range of about 0.5/1 to about 10/1, the hydrogen/coal feed weight ratio is in the range of about 0.01 to about 0.30/1, the hydrogen gas purity is in the range of about 85 to about 100 mole percent and the residence time is in the range of about 0.1 to about 5.0 hours, to form an intermediate coal-solvent slurry; (2) deashing said intermediate coal-solvent slurry to form a coal-solvent solution, said coal-solvent solution being such that in the absence of solvent therein at ambient temperature and pressure left behind would be deashed coal; (3) subjecting said coal-solvent solution to catalytic hydrogenation in a second hydrogenation zone in the presence of a catalyst consisting essentially of nickel, titanium and molybdenum wherein the temperature is in the range of about 260° to about 538° C., the pressure is in the range of about 500 to about 10,000 psig, the liquid hourly space velocity is in the range of about 0.3 to about 10 volume feed/volume catalyst/hour and the hydrogen flow rate is in the range of about 25 to about 190 kmol H 2 /m 3 feed to obtain a liquid product, (4) separating said liquid product to obtain (a) said desired upgraded material which is solid and/or semi-solid at room temperature having a substantially lower ash, sulfur and nitrogen content than the coal charge, (b) a first liquid fraction boiling at a temperature in the range of about 100° to about 375° C. and (c) a second liquid fraction boiling above said first liquid fraction at a temperature in the range of about 200° to about 525° C.; and then (5) recycling at least a portion of said second liquid fraction to said first hydrogenation zone.