Abstract: Described are novel processes for treating high-ash coal tars to produce coal tars which are suitable for distillation to form binder pitch. Preferred processes of the invention involve multi-stage centrifugations to reduce ash and preferably also quinoline insoluble levels. Processes of the invention also provide for the treatment of coal tar sludges to recover valuable coal tar distillate and dried, free-flowing coal related material having high fuel value.

Abstract: Carbon electrode impregnating pitch is made from coal tar by centrifugation of the coal tar to remove particulates, followed by milling and distilling the remaining material.

Abstract: There are provided improved processes for the manufacture of enriched pitches, carbon fiber precursors, carbon fibers, and graphite fibers. The improvement comprises employing an elevated wiped-film evaporator in a wiped-film evaporator system comprising the wiped-film evaporator and a means for recovering enriched pitch, such as a positive displacement pump, to form an enriched pitch from catalytic pitch and regulating the operating conditions of the wiped-film evaporator system to provide the desired enriched pitch. The wiped-film evaporator is located a specific distance above the means for recovering enriched pitch. The vertical distance between the outlet of the wiped-film evaporator and the inlet of the means for recovering enriched pitch is within the range of about 10 feet to about 40 feet, preferably about 20 feet to about 40 feet.

Abstract: Crude coal tar is distilled in the form produced in a coke plant. The distillation tower contains a rectification section to retain naphthalene with the other components heavier than benzene. The benzene is removed overhead.

Abstract: A method of determining the binder content of bituminous building material including a mixture of a mineralic constituent, a bituminous binder and moisture comprises the steps of: preparing a sample of the material, heating the sample to a temperature between 300.degree. to 550.degree. C.

Abstract: An isotropic coal tar pitch having a low content of carcinogenic compounds is prepared by distilling a coal tar pitch in an evaporator having a specific evaporator surface of from 330 to 10,000 m.sup.2 /m.sup.3, at a temperature in the range of from 300.degree. to 380.degree. C., under a pressure not exceeding 1 mbar, whereby the average stay period is from 2 to 10 minutes. The isotropic pitch thus obtained contains less that 50 ppm of benzo[a]pyrene and is suitable, optionally after adding an oil, resin or other modifying agents having a low benzo[a]pyrene content, for use as binding and impregnating agent and also as protecting agent in construction materials or as varnish (painting agent).

Abstract: Deasphalting heavy, asphaltic crudes before significant thermal treatment, even mild treatment which is inherent in, e.g., vacuum distillation, produces deasphalted whole crude with a reduced soluble metal content. This process is especially effective for preparing feedstocks for catalytic cracking units from heavy crudes containing large amounts of Ni and V which are porphyrin coordinated, and which are thermally unstable.

Abstract: The disclosed bonding pitch for electrodes, having a softening point C.I.A. comprised between 80.degree. C. and 150.degree. C., a concentration of quinoline-insoluble substances higher or equal to 4% by weight, a concentration of .alpha.+.beta. resins comprised between 28 and 40% by weight, and a fixed carbon content determined according to the standard ISO 6998, at least equal to 51% by weight, is characterized by a vitreous transition domain .DELTA.Tg, determined by differential calorimetric analysis, at the most equal to 50.degree. C. In order to produce such a pitch, a pitch having a content of quinoline-insoluble substances lower than 4% by weight is subjected to a treatment by waves having a frequency between 0.9 and 300 GHz. Such treatment makes possible the increase of the carbon content of the pitch while preserving a good affinity to the coke and significantly decreasing its vitreous transitional domain.

Abstract: The binder content of bituminous building materials, especially asphalts is determined. To enable samples of relatively great mass to be analyzed within comparatively little time, the binder is removed from the sample by thermal degradation. The binder content is then calculated from the weight loss which the sample undergoes due to the thermal decomposition.

Abstract: A pitch-based carbon fiber having a high strength is produced by (a) treating a heavy oil at a temperature of 370.degree. to 480.degree. C. and a pressure of 2 to 50 kg/cm.sup.2 ; (b) separating and removing insoluble solids from the heat-treated oil so that the insoluble solids content is not higher than 50 ppm; (c) subjecting the oil to thin film distillation at a temperature of 250.degree. to 450.degree. C., a pressure of not higher than 100 mm Hg and a film thickness of not larger than 5 mm; (d) heat-treating the resulting pitch at a temperature of 340.degree. to 450.degree. C. while passing an inert gas at atmospheric or reduced pressure to obtain an optically anisotropic pitch having a softening point of 260.degree. to 300.degree. C.

Abstract: In a refinery operation for producing asphalt, a metal organic acid salt is used to reduce H.sub.2 S caused by thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons in the asphalt.

Abstract: An impregnation pitch having a Kraemer-Sarnow softening point ranging from about 60.degree. C. to 80.degree. C., a content of quinoline-insoluble substances less than or equal to 7% by weight, and a filterability index greater than or equal to 4.5. A process for the manufacture thereof, wherein a tar or a pitch having a Kraemer-Sarnow softening point not exceeding 60.degree. C. and a content of quinoline-insoluble substances below or equal to 7% by weight is subjected to a thermal treatment capable of removing constituents with a molecular mass of below 1,200.

Abstract: A process for increasing the content of mesophase in a pitch includes using a high molecular aromatic fraction based on a material selected from the group consisting of coal tar, crude oil and their mixture in molten form, thermally treating the fraction in form of a thin, continously moving film, and removing volatile components by degassing during the thermal treatment. The process distinguishes in using a high molecular aromatic fraction which may contain mesophase, shaping the fraction continuously mechanically to a thin film with a layer of thickness of between substantially 0.

Abstract: A process for the production of high quality petroleum tar pitch for use as a binder in the manufacture of electrodes for the aluminum and steel industries from a highly aromatic feed comprises fractionating the feed in an oxygen-free environment under controlled conditions so as to obtain a specific quality petroleum tar pitch.

Abstract: A clean pitch suitable for the manufacture of carbon artifacts is obtained by distilling from an aromatic feedstock a distillate material free from mesophase forming resins. The distillate is heated to obtain a heat soaked distillate free from mesophase but containing mesophase forming resins. The heat soaked distillate is further heated with inert gas sparging to convert it to mesophase pitch suitable for manufacturing carbon fibers. The heat soaked distillate also finds use as a binder or impregnation pitch.

Abstract: A process for preparing a baseoil blend of predetermined coking tendency, and for measuring the effectiveness of additives for reducing coking tendency in baseoils, utilizing the relationship of the content of volatile fractions and how boiling fractions in baseoil to the onset and/or progression of asphaltene formation.

Abstract: A process for an efficient preparation of a mesophase pitch is disclosed. The process is suitable for the production of high performance carbon fibers, from a coal tar or a petroleum residual oil. More particularly, the present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a homogeneous mesophase pitch which comprises a continuous thermal treatment of a heavy oil or a pitch which does not contain quinoline insoluble fractions, in the presence or absence of an aromatic oil, subsequent distillation of the thermally treated product, recovery of a pitch with extremely low quinoline insoluble contents, hydrogenation of the pitch by continuous thermal treatment in the presence of a hydrogen-donating solvent, distillation and recovery of a hydrogenation pitch, and thermal treatment of the hydrogenated pitch. The mesophase pitch prepared by the process of the present invention is suitable for the production of high performance carbon fibers.

Abstract: A process is disclosed for the preparation of a hydrocarbonaceous distillate and a hydrocarbonaceous residue, which comprises mixing a residual fraction of a product obtained by catalytic cracking or hydrocracking a hydrocarbonaceous feedstock, with a second hydrocarbonaceous fraction having such a boiling range that at least 50% w boils at a temperature above 400.degree. C., and subjecting the resulting mixture to a subatmospheric distillation yielding at least one distillate fraction and one residue. The residue thus prepared is a suitable component in bitumen compositions.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is an improved pitch for making readily stabilizable, substantially nonmesophasic carbon fibers. The pitch has a softening point of about 250.degree. C.(480.degree. F.) or above and is produced from an unoxidized thermal petroleum pitch by selectively reducing or eliminating a portion of the low molecular weight materials in a very short period of time so that the tendency to produce mesophase pitch is eliminated or reduced and so that the chemical integrity of the components of the higher molecular weight fractions is preserved as much as possible. Also disclosed is a method of producing carbon fibers therefrom and rovings or mats from such fibers.

Abstract: The invention provides a novel pitch material useful as a base material of carbon fibers having excellent mechanical properties and characterized by a unique combination of several property parameters including the content of the optically anisotropic phase of at least 80%, a content of the pyridine-insoluble matter in the range from 30 to 70% by weight, a number average molecular weight in the range from 1000 to 1400 and a softening point in the range from 330.degree. to 380.degree. C. Such a pitch material is obtained from a starting pitch of a petroleum-based residual oil freed from light oily matter through a two-step heat treatment, of which the first step is performed at 400.degree. to 460.degree. C. under a pressure of 5 to 50 mmHg and the second step is performed at 450.degree. to 550.degree. C. for 0.2 to 30 minutes under a pressure of 0.1 to 5 mmHg. The advantages obtained by use of a film evaporator in the above mentioned heat treatment are described.

Abstract: A precursor pitch for the production of carton fibers is obtained by heat-treating a carbonaceous pitch in the form of a thin film having a thickness not larger than 5 mm at a temperature in the range of 250.degree. to 390.degree. C. and under a reduced pressure not higher than 100 mmHg. By melt-spinning this precursor pitch and subjecting the resultant pitch fiber to infusiblization and carbonization and, if required, to subsequent graphitization, there is obtained a high quality carbon fiber.

Abstract: A process for converting cat cracker bottoms to a feedstock suitable for carbon artifact manufacture, especially carbon fiber manufacture, is provided. Basically, the cat cracker bottom is stripped of fractions boiling below about 400.degree. C., heat soaked and then vacuum stripped to provide a suitable feedstock.

Abstract: This invention relates to the production of chemical pitch by stripping under reduced pressure steam cracker tar to obtain a pitch having an initial boiling point of between 350.degree. C and 400.degree. C at atmospheric pressure, heat soaking the pitch at 360.degree. to 420.degree. C in the absence of air or oxygen at sub-atmospheric to 4 atmospheres absolute and stripping under reduced pressure the soaked pitch to obtain a product having a minimum softening point (R and B) of 75.degree. C. This pitch can be mixed with coke to make electrodes especially suitable for aluminium production.

Abstract: Pitch having a Kramer-Sarnow softening point between 70.degree. and 190.degree. C is heated to a temperature in the range of 40.degree. to 100.degree. C above the softening point thereof. There is thus obtained a molten mass having non-molten particles distributed therein. A filtering operation under a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure is carried out to remove the particles from the molten mass. The molten mass may then be treated in different ways. According to one embodiment, the molten mass is held at a temperature between 280.degree. and 350.degree. C to distill off low molecular weight components of the pitch and the resulting product is thereafter shaped by extrusion to the form of strands. According to another embodiment, the molten mass is cooled, ground to particulate form and contacted with an aliphatic solvent having a boiling point between 60.degree. and 70.degree. C.

Abstract: A method for controlling the production of pitch and the like is disclosed comprising simultaneously measuring the viscosity and temperature of the pitch material from the production unit, comparing the measured value with a predetermined correlation of the viscosity and temperature for the pitch, and adjusting the parameters of the production operation in response to the comparison. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed comprising a means for withdrawing and returning a sample of the pitch material from the still, a chamber for holding the sample of the pitch material, the chamber having a means for heating and cooling the sample, a temperature sensing device and a viscosity measuring device located in the chamber, and a means for recording the temperature and viscosity values.

Abstract: An improved process for producing carbon fibers from pitch which has been transformed, in part, to a liquid crystal or so-called "mesophase" state. According to the process, pitch of a given mesophase content, suitable for producing carbon fibers, is produced in substantially shorter periods of time than heretofore possible, at a given temperature, by passing an inert gas through the pitch during formation of the mesophase.

Abstract: A binder suitable for use in electrodes is prepared by distilling a residue boiling above 200.degree. C from steam cracking to give a material with a KS softening point of 55.degree. - 90.degree. C and thermally ageing the material to increase the KS softening point to 80.degree. - 100.degree. C.The residue may be obtained from the steam cracking of naphtha. The thermal ageing may be carried out by heating under reflux or by recycling the residue at the base of the distillation column.The binder preferably has a KS softening point of 88.degree. - 100.degree. C a density above 1.20, a Conradson carbon index of 45 - 60, a beta resin content of 20 - 35% wt and an alpha resin content below 10% wt.

Abstract: The production of normal and premium lube grade blending stocks of 100, 300 and 700 second neutral material along with high boiling by-product material for the manufacture of asphalts is improved by using a low pressure vacuum tower provided with an overflash separation in the tower bottom from resid.