Integrated process for the solvent refining of coal

Claim 1

A process for the catalytic solvent refining of coal into liquid and solid products with the subsequent catalytic hydrogenation of at least a portion of the solid coal product to produce additional liquid product comprising the steps of: (a) contacting particulate coal with a normally liquid solvent and a catalyst for the solvent refining of coal to form an unsupported hydrogenation coal slurry; (b) catalytically solvent refining the coal slurry at elevated temperature and pressure in an initial process stage to form a liquid product containing normally solid refined coal; (c) separating the liquid product into a lower boiling liquid product and a normally solid refined coal product containing spent catalyst and ash; (d) separating the normally solid refined coal from the spent catalyst and ash; (e) contacting the normally solid refined coal with a fresh unsupported hydrogenation catalyst and introducing the mixture into a hydrogenation zone; (f) hydrogenating the normally solid refined coal at elevated temperature and pressure to produce additional liquid product; (g) separating the liquid product of step (f) from a residual product containing the used hydrogenation catalyst; (h) recycling the used hydrogenation catalyst to the solvent refining contact stage of step (a) as the solvent refining catalyst.