Abstract: In a shell and tube heat exchanger including a floating tube sheet to which a floating head is connected during assembly of the exchanger, the floating head is supported in the required position adjacent the tube sheet during the assembly operation by means of a supporting member extending outwardly from the face of the tube sheet.

Abstract: Gaskets used in flanged assemblies containing gasket recesses are held in place during the makeup of such assemblies by means of metallic springs which are attached to the wall of the recess adjacent the edge of the gasket and, when the gasket is properly positioned, bear against the edge with sufficient force to hold the gasket in place.

Abstract: The tubes adjacent the shell inlet in a shell-and-tube heat exchanger or similar device are protected against erosion by the incoming shell-side fluid by tube shields which are fixed at one end to a tube sheet or baffle and slidably supported at the other end by a transverse bar or similar supporting member attached to an adjacent tube sheet or baffle. In exchangers having staggered tubes, the exposed tubes in the second row may be protected by tube shields which depend from the tube shields protecting tubes in the first row or from their supporting members and which extend adjacent the exposed tubes in the second row.

Abstract: Char fines produced by the gasification of coal or other carbonaceous solids are coked in the presence of heavy hydrocarbon oils, preferably 1000.degree. F.+ bottoms products from a coal liquefaction process, to produce gaseous products, liquids, and larger coke particles. The coke particles thus produced may be fed to the gasifier for the production of additional gaseous products which can be used as fuel, employed as a source of hydrogen for coal liquefaction operations, or utilized for the production of hydrocarbon liquids.

Abstract: A packaging system for canned motor oil or the like comprises a paperboard box or similar semirigid package for holding one or more cans or other containers of liquid, an impervious bag of flexible sheet material having a mouth for the introduction of used liquid into the bag within the package and of sufficient size to substantially fill the package after the containers are removed, means for introducing used liquid into the bag within the box, and a cap for closing the bag after it has been filled.

Abstract: Methane and carbon dioxide are produced by reacting steam with a carbonaceous feed material at a reaction temperature between about 1000.degree. F. and about 1500.degree. F. and a reaction pressure in excess of about 100 psia in the presence of a carbon-alkali metal catalyst and equilibrium quantities of added hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The raw product gas withdrawn from the reaction zone is treated for removal of the carbon dioxide, product methane is recovered from the treated gas, and the remaining hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be recycled to supply the added hydrogen and carbon monoxide needed in the reaction zone.

Abstract: Coal is liquefied by treatment with a hydrogen-donor solvent and gaseous hydrogen, a heavy bottoms product boiling primarily in excess of about 1000.degree. F. is recovered, and this bottoms product is then pyrolyzed with fresh coal to produce surprisingly high yields of liquid product. The coke formed during the pyrolysis step may be gasified to generate hydrogen for use in the liquefaction operation and additional gas which can be employed as a fuel or upgraded for other uses.

Abstract: In a coal gasification operation or similar process carried out in the presence of an alkali metal-containing catalyst wherein spent solids containing ash and alkali metal catalyst residues are produced, alkali metal constituents are recovered from the spent solids by first removing magnetic constituents from the solids, contacting the solid particles from which magnetic constituents have been separated with an acid solution to extract alkali metal constituents from the solids and produce a spent acid solution enriched in alkali metal salts, raising the pH of the enriched solution sufficiently to precipitate aluminum from the solution as aluminum hydroxide, heating the remaining solution to precipitate silicon compounds, and recovering an enriched alkali metal solution from which aluminum and silicon compounds have been removed.

Abstract: In a coal liquefaction process wherein feed coal is contacted with molecular hydrogen and a hydrogen-donor solvent in a liquefaction zone to form coal liquids and vapors and coal liquids in the solvent boiling range are thereafter hydrogenated to produce recycle solvent and liquid products, the improvement which comprises separating the effluent from the liquefaction zone into a hot vapor stream and a liquid stream; cooling the entire hot vapor stream sufficiently to condense vaporized liquid hydrocarbons; separating condensed liquid hydrocarbons from the cooled vapor; fractionating the liquid stream to produce coal liquids in the solvent boiling range; passing the cooled vapor, the coal liquids in the solvent boiling range, and makeup hydrogen to the solvent hydrogenation zone as feed to the hydrogenation zone; and thereafter catalytically hydrogenating the hydrogenation zone feed stream while quenching the hydrogenation reaction with fluids recovered from the hydrogenation zone effluent.

Abstract: Raw synthesis gas produced by the gasification of coal, heavy oil or similar carbonaceous material is contacted with a reforming catalyst at a temperature in the range between about 1000.degree. and about 1800.degree. F. and at a pressure between about 100 and about 2000 psig prior to adjustment of the carbon monoxide-to-hydrogen ratio and treatment of the gas to increase its B.t.u. content. This catalytic reforming step eliminates C.sub.2 + compounds in the gas which tend to form tarry downstream waste products requiring further treatment, obviates polymerization problems which may otherwise interfere with upgrading of the gas by means of the water gas shift and methanation reactions, and improves overall process thermal efficiency by making possible efficient low level heat recovery.

Abstract: In a coal liquefaction process wherein feed coal is contacted with molecular hydrogen and hydrogen-donor solvent in a liquefaction zone to form coal liquids and vapors and coal liquids in the solvent boiling range are thereafter hydrogenated to produce recycle solvent and liquid products, the improvement which comprises separating the effluent from the liquefaction zone into a hot vapor stream and a liquid stream, combining a portion of the hot vapor stream with makeup hydrogen and with coal liquids in the solvent boiling range, passing the combined vapor, hydrogen and coal liquids to the solvent hydrogenation zone as feed to the hydrogenation zone, discharging the remainder of the vapor stream as purge after cooling to recover vaporized hydrocarbons and removing contaminants, and thereafter catalytically hydrogenating the hydrogenation zone feed stream while quenching the hydrogenation reaction with fluids recovered from the hydrogenation zone effluent.

Abstract: Naphthenic solvents and low aromatics mineral spirits are produced simultaneously by blending a hydrocarbon oil boiling in the range between about 100.degree. F. and about 600.degree. F. with an aromatics fraction having an initial boiling point similar to that of the oil to produce a blend containing in excess of about 10 weight percent aromatics, hydrogenating the blend in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst until aromatics present in the blend have been converted into lower boiling naphthenic compounds, and thereafter fractionating the hydrogenated material to produce a highly naphthenic overhead fraction useful as a solvent and a low aromatics bottom fraction useful as mineral spirits.

Abstract: Gaseous sulfur and nitrogen compounds are removed from mixed gases containing such compounds by contacting the gases with liquid organic disulfides in a contacting zone and withdrawing gases of reduced sulfur and nitrogen content. After contacting, the disulfides may be stripped of absorbed gases and then reused or instead may be converted into hydrocarbons substantially free of sulfur and nitrogen-containing constituents. The liquid disulfides are particularly effective for the selective removal of hydrogen sulfide from gases containing carbon dioxide.

Abstract: Coal liquids and gases are recovered from a thick underground coal seam by drilling one or more boreholes from the earth's surface into the lower part of the seam, burning out the coal over a limited area near the bottom of the seam, collapsing the overlying coal to form a rubblized zone extending vertically to a point near the upper boundary of the seam, driving a flame front vertically through the rubblized zone to liberate hydrocarbon liquids and produce gases, and recovering the liquids and gases from the rubblized zone.

Abstract: A water-soluble alkali metal compound or other soluble constituent is recovered from a mixture of solid particles of different densities and the solid particles are simultaneously separated into two fractions, one having a greater density than the other by countercurrently contacting the solids with a leaching agent in which said constituent is soluble in a countercurrent multistage leaching system, maintaining the density of the enriched leaching agent in the final stage of the system at a value intermediate the densities of the particles in the mixture, and separately recovering enriched leaching solution, particles having a density greater than that of the enriched leaching solution, and particles with a density less than that of the enriched solution from the system. The process is particularly useful for the recovery of alkali metal constituents used to catalyze the gasification of coal and other carbonaceous solids.

Abstract: Subdivided carbonaceous feed solids containing volatilizable hydrocarbons are hydrogasified by heating the solids to at least minimum hydrogasification temperature while in dilute phase suspension in a gas containing molecular hydrogen and in contact with subdivided hot solids having a temperature greater than minimum hydrogasification temperature. The feed and hot solids are passed with the hydrogen-containing gas through a transfer line hydrogasification zone having a length which, for the velocity of the solids passage therethrough, limits the residence of the solids therein to the time necessary for devolatilization of the carbonaceous feed solids and for conversion of a predetermined minor proportion of the carbon of the feed solids to methane. Suitably from about one to about 50 mol percent of the carbon in the carbonaceous feed solids is converted to methane.

Abstract: Toxic trace element pollutants present in the raw product gas and raw flue gas streams produced during the gasification of coal or similar carbonaceous solids containing sulfur and such trace elements are recovered by separately scrubbing the product gas and flue gas with water, combining the resulting aqueous effluents, and removing the pollutants from the combined aqueous stream as insoluble metal sulfides.

Abstract: Compositions prepared by blending asphalt and reject polypropylene which contains a mixture of atactic and isotactic polypropylene and includes inorganic salts and other residues from the polypropylene manufacturing process have outstanding wetting characteristics and surprisingly high adhesive strengths. These compositions can be employed for bonding polyolefins, metals, woods, papers and a wide variety of other materials and can also be molded for use in other applications. Such compositions are superior to blends of asphalt and essentially pure atactic or isotactic polypropylene.

Abstract: A shell and tube heat exchanger includes a tube bundle having a stationary tube sheet near one end thereof; a second tube sheet near the other end thereof; a plurality of tubes extending between the stationary tube sheet and the second tube sheet; a plurality of segmented transverse baffles located between the stationary tube sheet and the second tube sheet, the cut of each transverse baffle being located about 180.degree. from those on the adjacent transverse baffles; a double segmented auxiliary baffle located near at least one end of the tube bundle, the cut of the double segmented baffle extending substantially parallel to the cut on the adjacent transverse baffle and the auxiliary and transverse baffles being located at substantially equal intervals; and a longitudinal baffle member extending from the cut of the transverse baffles adjacent the auxiliary baffles to the corresponding cut on the auxiliary baffles.

Abstract: Methane is produced by contacting a mixture of carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide and hydrogen with a carbon-alkali metal catalyst at a temperature in the range between about 800.degree.F. and about 1500.degree.F. and at a pressure between about atmospheric and about 2000 psig. The catalyst employed may be prepared by heating an intimate mixture of coal, coal char, coke or other carbonaceous solids and an alkali metal salt, hydroxide or similar constituent. Such a catalyst promotes the methanation of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide and the formation of higher hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction and at the same time is resistant to high temperature sintering and poisoning by sulfur compounds present in the feed gas. The catalyst can be regenerated if necessary by air oxidation.