US4264429A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Two-stage coal liquefaction process with process-derived solvent
Assignee: Chevron USA Inc
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Filing: 1979-10-18
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Granted: 1981-04-28
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Expires: 1999-10-18
Abstract
Abstract Disclosed is a two-stage process for the production of clean liquid hydrocarbons from coal. In the process subdivided coal is dissolved in a process derived solvent at a temperature in the range 425°-480° C. The dissolver effluent is passed through a catalytic reactor operating under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range 340°-400° C. to produce normally liquid products and recycle solvent. The solvent is further subjected to treatment with an antisolvent to precipitate unconverted asphaltenes prior to recycle to the dissolution stage.
Inventors
- 👤 Joel W. Rosenthal
- 👤 Arthur J. Dahlberg
- 👤 Christopher W. Kuehler
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-06 08:29
CPC Classifications
C; C10; C10G; C10G1/00; C10G1/002; C10G67/00; C10G67/02; C10G67/04; C10G67/0454; C10G67/049
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
A process for liquefying coal which comprises: forming a coal-solvent slurry by mixing subdivided coal with a solvent; passing said slurry with added hydrogen through a dissolving zone free of externally supplied catalyst and contact particles at a temperature in the range 425°-480° C. to substantially dissolve said coal; contacting at least a portion of the effluent from said dissolving zone in a reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range of 340°-400° C. and a hydrogen partial pressure in the range of 70-210 atmospheres to produce a second effluent containing heptane insolubles; mixing an antisolvent with at least a portion of said second effluent containing heptane insolubles to produce a substantially heptane insoluble-free hydrocarbon liquid; and recycling said substantially heptane insoluble-free hydrocarbon liquid for use as coal-solvent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
A process for liquefying coal which comprises: forming a coal-solvent slurry by mixing subdivided coal with a solvent; passing said slurry with added hydrogen through a dissolving zone free of externally supplied catalyst and contact particles at a temperature in the range 425°-480° C. to substantially dissolve said coal; contacting at least a portion of the effluent from said dissolving zone in a reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range of 340°-400° C. and a hydrogen partial pressure in the range of 70-210 atmospheres to produce a second effluent containing heptane insolubles; mixing an antisolvent with at least a portion of said second effluent containing heptane insolubles to produce a substantially heptane insoluble-free hydrocarbon liquid; and recycling said substantially heptane insoluble-free hydrocarbon liquid for use as coal-solvent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said portion of said second effluent is a 200° C.+ boiling fracture.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
A process as recited in claim 1, wherein said second effluent containing heptane insolubles has a heptane insoluble content of 2 to 5 weight percent.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
28 words
A process as recited in claim 2, wherein the weight ratio of antisolvent to said portion of the second effluent is in the range of 1:10 to 10:1.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
169 words
A process for liquefying coal which comprises: forming a coal-solvent slurry by mixing subdivided coal with a solvent; passing said slurry with added hydrogen through a dissolving zone free of externally supplied catalyst and contact particles at a temperature in the range 425°-480° C. to substantially dissolve said coal; contacting at least a portion of the effluent from said dissolving zone in a reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range of 340°-400° C. and a hydrogen partial pressure in the range 70-210 atmospheres to produce a second effluent having a normally liquid portion which contains heptane insolubles and coal residue; separating a substantial portion of the coal residue from at least a portion of said normally liquid portion to produce a solids-lean liquid; mixing an antisolvent with at least a portion of said solids-lean liquid to precipitate substantially all of the heptane insolubles therein and to produce a substantially heptane insolubles-free liquid; recycling said substantially heptane insolubles-free liquid for use as solvent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
169 words
A process for liquefying coal which comprises: forming a coal-solvent slurry by mixing subdivided coal with a solvent; passing said slurry with added hydrogen through a dissolving zone free of externally supplied catalyst and contact particles at a temperature in the range 425°-480° C. to substantially dissolve said coal; contacting at least a portion of the effluent from said dissolving zone in a reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range of 340°-400° C. and a hydrogen partial pressure in the range 70-210 atmospheres to produce a second effluent having a normally liquid portion which contains heptane insolubles and coal residue; separating a substantial portion of the coal residue from at least a portion of said normally liquid portion to produce a solids-lean liquid; mixing an antisolvent with at least a portion of said solids-lean liquid to precipitate substantially all of the heptane insolubles therein and to produce a substantially heptane insolubles-free liquid; recycling said substantially heptane insolubles-free liquid for use as solvent.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
21 words
A process as recited in claim 5, wherein said portion of said normally liquid portion is a 200° C.+ boiling fraction.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as recited in claim 6, wherein the weight ratio of antisolvent to said portion of solids-lean liquid is in the range 1:10 to 10:1.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
26 words
A process as recited in claim 1 or 5 wherein the entire effluent from the dissolving zone is passed to the reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
37 words
A process as recited in claim 1 or 5 wherein water and light gases are removed from the effluent from the dissolving zone prior to passage of the remaining effluent to the reaction zone containing hydrocracking catalyst.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1984-04-27 | 1984-10-27 | 1985-04-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1988-04-27 | 1988-10-27 | 1989-04-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1992-04-27 | 1992-10-27 | 1993-04-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |