Method and apparatus for deashing coal liquefaction effluents

Claim 1

An apparatus for agglomerating and separating finely divided residual solids from liquid coal liquefaction product comprising: (a) means for carbonizing a mixture of carbonaceous liquid and coal-derived solids at 450° to 525° C. (842° to 977° F.) to form carbonized solids, said carbonized solids being substantially larger than said residual solids, (b) means for grinding said carbonized solids to form ground carbonized solids in the 325×28 mesh size range, (c) means for providing a coal liquefaction product slurry, (d) means for providing a precipitating solvent, (e) means for adding ground carbonized solids consisting essentially of solids from step (b) and said precipitating solvent to said coal liquefaction product slurry, to form a separation mixture comprising (i) liquid coal liquefaction product (ii) liquid precipitating solvent (iii) residual solids, 95 percent of said residual solids being less than 10 micron in size and (iv) said added ground carbonized solids, (f) means for agitating said separation mixture in an agitation means to form readily screenable pellets each said pellet being from 1 to 10 mm in size and thus substantially larger than said added ground carbonized solids, each of said pellets comprising a portion of said residual solids and a portion of said ground carbonized solids, said agitation means comprising (i) an agglomerating vessel having an axis, a first and a second end and an inlet and an outlet; (ii) at least one agglomerating zone co-axially positioned in said vessel, said zone having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of said vessel and a first end and second end, each of said first and second ends having an opening centrally positioned therein for charging materials to said zone and recovering materials from said zone; (iii) an agitator means positioned in each of said zones, said stirrer means comprising at least one paddle means rotatably positioned in said zone so that said paddle means is rotated about a central axis of said vessel with an outer edge of said paddle means defining an outer agitator diameter as said paddle means is rotated and with an inner edge of said paddle means defining an inner agitator diameter as said paddle means is rotated; and (iv) means for rotating said paddle means; said outer agitator diameter being equal to at least one-half the outer diameter of said zone, the length of said zone between said first and second ends being equal to at least one-half said outer agitator diameter, said paddle means having a width measured parallel to said axis of at least one-fifth of said outer agitator diameter and a length measured perpendicularly to said axis equal to at least-half said width and said centrally positioned openings in said first and second ends having an outer diameter no greater than said inner agitator diameter, (g) means for screening said pellets from said liquid coal liquefaction product whereby said liquid coal liquefaction product is separated from said residual solids, said residual solids comprising a portion of each of said pellets.

Claim 2

An apparatus for agglomerating and separating finely divided residual solids from liquid coal liquefaction product comprising: (a) means for carbonizing a mixture of carbonaceous liquid and coal-derived solids at 450° to 525° C. (842° to 977° F.) to form carbonized solids, said carbonized solids being substantially larger than said residual solids, (b) means for grinding said carbonized solids to form ground carbonized solids in the 325×28 mesh size range, (c) means for providing a coal liquefaction product slurry, (d) means for providing a precipitating solvent, (e) means for adding ground carbonized solids consisting essentially of solids from step (b) and said precipitating solvent to said coal liquefaction product slurry, to form a separation mixture comprising (i) liquid coal liquefaction product (ii) liquid precipitating solvent (iii) residual solids, 95 percent of said residual solids being less than 10 micron in size and (iv) said added ground carbonized solids, (f) means for agitating said separation mixture in an agitation means to form readily screenable pellets each said pellet being from 1 to 10 mm in size and thus substantially larger than said added ground carbonized solids, each of said pellets comprising a portion of said residual solids and a portion of said ground carbonized solids, said agitation means comprising (i) an agglomerating vessel having an axis, a first and a second end and an inlet and an outlet; (ii) at least one agglomerating zone co-axially positioned in said vessel, said zone having an outer diameter equal to the outer diameter of said vessel and a first end and second end, each of said first and second ends having an opening centrally positioned therein for charging materials to said zone and recovering materials from said zone; (iii) an agitator means positioned in each of said zones, said stirrer means comprising at least one paddle means rotatably positioned in said zone so that said paddle means is rotated about a central axis of said vessel with an outer edge of said paddle means defining an outer agitator diameter as said paddle means is rotated and with an inner edge of said paddle means defining an inner agitator diameter as said paddle means is rotated; and (iv) means for rotating said paddle means; said outer agitator diameter being equal to at least one-half the outer diameter of said zone, the length of said zone between said first and second ends being equal to at least one-half said outer agitator diameter, said paddle means having a width measured parallel to said axis of at least one-fifth of said outer agitator diameter and a length measured perpendicularly to said axis equal to at least-half said width and said centrally positioned openings in said first and second ends having an outer diameter no greater than said inner agitator diameter, (g) means for screening said pellets from said liquid coal liquefaction product whereby said liquid coal liquefaction product is separated from said residual solids, said residual solids comprising a portion of each of said pellets.