H-coal

In 1976, Ashland Od (Ashland Synthetic Fuels, Inc.) was awarded the prime contract to constmct a 540 t/d H-coal pdot plant adjacent to its refinery at Cadettsburg, Kentucky, by an industry—government underwriting consortium. Constmction was completed in 1980 (112). The pdot-plant operation ended in eady 1983. 

Properties. The properties of naphtha, gas od, and H-od products from an H-coal operation are given in Table 7. These analyses are for Hquids produced from the syncmde operating mode. Whereas these Hquids are very low in sulfur compared with typical petroleum fractions, they are high in oxygen and nitrogen levels. No residual od products (bp > 540° C) are formed. 

Table 7. Properties of Syncrude from H-Coal Process ...

G. A. Johnson and co-workers, "Present Status of the H-Coal Process," paper 30, IGT Coal Symposium, Chicago, 1973. 

Several processes progressed to demonstration scales but have not been commercialized, primarily because of economic inabiHty to compete with available petroleum products. The H-Coal process developed by Hydrocarbon Research, Inc. was demonstrated at Catiettsburg, Kentucky using a 545 t/d plant and DOE support. The Exxon donor solvent Hquefaction process was not commercialized either. 

The H-Coal process could operate in one of two modes, depending on the desired product slate. In the "syn-cmde" mode, a fluid-bed coking unit was employed to maximize recovery of distillate from the Hquefaction product (Fig. 7a). When operated in the fuel oil mode (Fig. 7b), no coker was used and the primary product was a coal-derived low sulfur fuel oil. Total hydrogen demand on the process was also reduced in the latter mode of operation. 

Fig. 7. H-Coal process using Illinois No. 6 coal (a) in syncmde mode, and (b) in low sulfur fuel oil mode. To convert to Btu, multiply by 6.48 x lO ". To convert m to bbl, multiply by 6.29. To convert m to standard cubic feet (SCF), multiply by 35.3...

In addition to the content of ion-exchangeable calcium, other factors must be considered when the rate of accumulation is in question. In order that the precipitates be retained in reaction vessels, it is necessary that they grow to a sufficient size to preclude elution. This condition is achieved in reactor configurations where residence time is relatively long. Alternatively, if turbulent conditions prevail, as in the H-Coal reactor, the precipitates may be abraded or not allowed to grow, so that retention would be inhibited, though their formation will not be prevented. 

Steyn, J.G.D., Smith, W.H. Coal, Gold and Base Minerals (South Africa), 1977, Sept., 107. 

Figure 3. Molecular weight vs. oxygen content for resins and polar asphaltenes in raw coal liquids ( Z ), regular SRC (O), H-coal (A), SCT-SRC.

Table VII shows the estimated yields from an SCT-SRC plus hydrotreating scheme along with published yields from SRC-I (5), SRC-II (6) and H-coal Syncrude (7) processes. The yields for the SCT dissolution operation at Wilsonville (8) are also included...

Table VII shows that the SCT-SRC plus upgrading yields significantly less gas and more liquid (residual material included) than the other processes. The hydrogen consumption in the two-step SCT process is higher than for the SRC-I process however, it is still lower than for the SRC-II process and significantly lower than for the H-Coal Syncrude operation.

The development of three-phase reactor technologies in the 1970 s saw renewed interest in the synthetic fuel area due to the energy crisis of 1973. Several processes were developed for direct coal liquefaction using both slurry bubble column reactors (Exxon Donor Solvent process and Solvent Refined Coal process) and three-phase fluidized bed reactors (H-Coal process). These processes were again shelved in the early 1980 s due to the low price of petroleum crudes. 

CSF [Consol Synthetic Fuels] A two-stage coal liquifaction process. In the first stage, the coal is extracted with process-derived oil and the ash removed. In the second, the extract is catalytically hydrogenated. Piloted by the Consolidation Coal Company, Cresap, WV, from 1963 to 1972. See also H-Coal, SRC, Synthoil. 

H-Coal A coal gasification process. Crushed coal is mixed with process-derived oil and catalytically hydrogenated in an ebullated bed under pressure at 455°C. The catalyst is a mixture of cobalt and molybdenum oxides on alumina. Developed by Hydrocarbon Research from the 1960s and piloted in Catlettsburg, KY, from 1980 to 1982. See also CSF, H-Oil, CSF, Synthoil. 

Synthoil A coal liquifaction process in which coal, suspended in oil from the process, is hydrogenated over a cobalt/molybdenum catalyst on alumina. The process was piloted by the Pittsburgh Energy Research Center at Bruceton, PA in the 1970s using several types of coal, but it was abandoned in 1978. See also CSF, H-Coal. 

Hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) HCFC-225ca, 73 725 HCFC-225cb, 73 725 HCFC blowing agents, 25 469 HCG P-HCG (beta subunit human chorionic gonadotropin), 9 64 H-Coal process, 6 766, 838-841 HCV. See Hepatitis C virus (HBV)... 

Ashland Synthetic Fuels, Inc, Information Brochure, H-Coal,... 

A Future Energy Source, November 1979 "H-Coal Special Issue," Department of Energy, Energy Countdown, November 1979 ... 

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