Solvent refining

A flow diagram of the solvent-refined coal or SRC process is shown ia Figure 12. Coal is pulverized and mixed with a solvent to form a slurry containing 25—35 wt % coal. The slurry is pressurized to ca 7 MPa (1000 psig), mixed with hydrogen, and heated to ca 425°C. The solution reactions are completed ia ca 20 min and the reaction product flashed to separate gases. The Hquid is filtered to remove the mineral residue (ash and undissolved coal) and fractionated to recover the solvent, which is recycled. 

The hquid remaining after the solvent has been recovered is a heavy residual fuel called solvent-refined coal, containing less than 0.8 wt % sulfur and 0.1 wt % ash. It melts at ca 177°C and has a heating value of ca 37 MJ/kg (16,000 Btu/lb), regardless of the quaUty of the coal feedstock. The activity of the solvent is apparently more important than the action of gaseous hydrogen ia this type of uncatalyzed hydrogenation. Research has been directed to the use of petroleum-derived aromatic oils as start-up solvents (118). 

Monsanto Chemical Company Oils. Monsanto Chemical Co. manufactures two oils for heat-transfer appHcations. Therminol HEP is a solvent refined paraffinic oil Therminol XP is a clear white mineral oil essentially identical to Multitherm PG-1 and Paratherm NE. 

Liquid Fuels. Liquid fuels can be obtained as by-products of low temperature carbonization by pyrolysis, solvent refining, or extraction and gasification followed by catalytic conversion of either the coal or the products from the coal. A continuing iaterest ia Hquid fuels has produced activity ia each of these areas (44—46). However, because cmde oil prices have historically remained below the price at which synthetic fuels can be produced, commercialization awaits an economic reversal. 

Other Specialty Chemicals. In fuel-ceU technology, nickel oxide cathodes have been demonstrated for the conversion of synthesis gas and the generation of electricity (199) (see Fuel cells). Nickel salts have been proposed as additions to water-flood tertiary cmde-oil recovery systems (see Petroleum, ENHANCED oil recovery). The salt forms nickel sulfide, which is an oxidation catalyst for H2S, and provides corrosion protection for downweU equipment. Sulfur-containing nickel complexes have been used to limit the oxidative deterioration of solvent-refined mineral oils (200). 

W. Downs, C. L. Wagoner, and R. C. Carr, Preparation and Burning of Solvent Refined Coal, presented at American Power Conference, Chicago, lU., Apr. 1969. 

Solvent Refined Coal Process. Work ia the mid-1960s by the Speacer Chemical Co. (9) and dating the 1970s by the Gulf Chemical Corp. led to two solvent refined coal (SRC) processiag schemes SRC-I for productioa of low ash soHd boiler fuels and SRC-II for distillates, eg, "syn-cmde."... 

Solvent-Refined Coal (SRC) This processing concept was initiated by the Pittsburgh Midway Coal Mining Co. in the early 1960s. The SRC-I process operating mode is designed to produce a solid fuel for utility applications. Typical operating conditions and product yields for SRC-I are shown in Table 27-14. 

Work has also continued on the solvent-refined coal + hydrocracking concept (the NT.SL, or non-integrat-ed, two-stage liquefaction process), and a pilot plant was operated by Amoco, DOE and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) from 1974 to 1992. 

Non-solvent refined mineral oils and contaminated used mineral oils... 

Synonym(s) o-Tolyl phosphate TOCP TOTP Petroleum distillates solvent-refined light paraffinic Petroleum distillates, straight-run middle... 

It is possible to produce some liquid hydrocarbons from most coals during conversion (pyrolysis and hydrogenation/ catalytic and via solvent refining)/ but the yield and hydrogen consumption required to achieve this yield can vary widely from coal to coal. The weight of data in the literature indicate that the liquid hydrocarbons are derived from the so-called reactive maceralS/ i.e. the vitrinites and exinites present (7 8 1 9). Thusf for coals of the same rank the yield of liquids during conversion would be expected to vary with the vitrinite plus exinite contents. This leads to the general question of effect of rank on the response of a vitrinite and on the yield of liquid products and/ in the context of Australian bituminous coals, where semi-fusinite is usually abundant/ of the role of this maceral in conversion. 

Hooks, H.W. Boykin, R.G., Solvent Refined Coal Process Quarterly Technical Progress Report for the period January-March 1978, from Catalytic Inc. to EPRI and DOE, July 1978. 

Upgrading of Short-Contact-Time Solvent-Refined Coal... 

In solvent refining, coal is converted to a pyridine-soluble product after very short residence time at reaction conditions. 

In the solvent-refined coal pilot plant at Wilsonville, Alabama, the coal slurry is heated to reaction temperature in 3-4 minutes residence time in the preheater. The slurry is then held in the dissolver for an additional 40 minutes before it is filtered to obtain specification solvent-refined coal. By bypassing the dissolver and going directly to the filters, samples of short-contact time (SCT) SRC were produced from Illinois 6 (Monterey) and West Kentucky coals. 

Solvent Refined Coal Pilot Plant, Wilsonville, Alabama", Technical Report No. 8, Catalytic Incorporated to Southern Services, April 30, 1976. 

Operation of Solvent Refined Coal Pilot Plant at Wilsonville, Alabama," Annual Technical Progress Report, January-December 1976. 

These reactions proceed smoothly in the presence of hydrogen donating aromatic solvent (1-4) at temperatures from 400°C to 450°C, resulting in the formation of so called solvent refined coal with carbon content of 86-88% on maf basis independent of coalification grade of feed coal. 

H. E. Lewis, W. H. Weber, G. B. Usnick, W. R. Hollenbach and W. W. Hooks, "Operation of Solvent Refined Coal Pilot Plant at Wilsonville, Alabama", Annual Report, 1977, Catalytic, Inc., Wilsonville, Alabama, Report FE-2270-31. 

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. 

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