Hydrogen continued Tetralin

The melt used in this work was prepared from the residue of hydrogen-donor extraction of Colstrip coal with tetralin solvent in such a way as to simulate the composition of an actual spent melt. The extraction was conducted in the continuous bench-scale unit previously described (17) at 412°C and 50 min residence time. The residue used was the solvent-free underflow from continuous settling (17) of the extractor effluent. The residue was then precarbonized to 675°C in a muffle furnace. The melts were blended to simulate the composition of a spent melt from the direct hydrocracking of the Colstrip coal by blending together in a melt pot zinc chloride, zinc sulfide, and ammonium chloride, ammonia, and the carbonized residue in appropriate proportions. Analysis of the feed melt used in this work is given in Table I. 

The reduction of l,4-androstadiene-3,17-dione (AAD) as an industrial route to estradione using supercritical tetralin as both the solvent and the hydrogen donor Was investigated at Schering AG in cooperation with the University of Gottingen [177,178]. The reaction kinetics were studied at between 350-600 °C and 50-300 bar. A pilot plant with a possible throughput of up to 30 L h was studied successfully over 1 year with continuous processes run up to 4 days at 575 °C and pressures up to 100 bar at contact times of less than 1 s. 

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