Abstract: An improved process is described for agglomeration beneficiation of ground coal in which undiluted heavy oil or bitumen is used as the agglomerating vehicle. The ground cell, water and heavy oil or bitumen are mixed at an elevated temperature sufficient to lower the viscosity of the heavy oil or bitumen to a level permitting easy mixing and at an elevated pressure sufficiently high to prevent boiling of the water. This mixing causes agglomeration of the carbonaceous solids with the heavy oil or bitumen and the agglomerates obtained are separated from the tailings containing aqueous medium and inorganic solids. The separated agglomerates are preferably used with additional heavy oil or bitumen to form a slurry feedstock for a coprocessing unit. This provides a very efficient total process since the coal agglomeration beneficiation uses a portion of the same heavy oil or bitumen feedstock which is used for coprocessing and no additional hydrocarbon diluent is required.

Abstract: A thin film catalyst structure is described for use in hydrodesulphurization of gaseous hydrocarbon mixtures. The catalyst is formed starting with an aluminum substrate having an oxide surface layer and thin films of metallic cobalt and molybdenum are sequentially deposited on the aluminum oxide layer. The films of metallic cobalt and molybdenum are calcined and then reduced and sulphided to form a sulphided thin film catalyst structure having improved hydrodesulphurization properties.

Abstract: An improved reinjection system is described for a bubbling bed fluidized bed combustor of the type having a combustion zone in which fuel is burned in a fluidized bed of granular material, means for collecting particles from the flue gases and means for reinjecting the collected particles into the combustion zone. The improved reinjection system comprises a first particulate material conductor pipe sloping downwardly toward the combustion zone, the lower end of this first downwardly sloping pipe being flow connected by way of a lower corner or elbow to a short section of upwardly sloping pipe. The upper end of this short upwardly sloping pipe is flow connected by way of an upper corner or elbow to a second downwardly sloping pipe. The first downwardly sloping pipe, the upwardly sloping pipe and the second downwardly sloping pipe form therebetween a Z-valve.

Abstract: A reverse osmosis process is described for removing alcohols from hydrocarbons, in the additional presence of ethers. Depending on the nature of the membrane used, the methanol can be selectively removed as the membrane permeate or retained as the membrane concentrate. The membrane may be made from cellulose esters, polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, polyvinylidene chloride-polyvinyl chloride, etc.

Abstract: A process is described for separating and identifying organic sulphur compounds in petroleum distillates which comprises subjecting an aromatic-containing fraction to chromatography in a dual packed silica gel-alumina column employing pentane-ethyl acetate as a solvent to obtain a sulphur-containing eluate and analyzing the sulphur-containing eluate by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The aromatic-containing fraction is usually a naphtha fraction or a light gas oil fraction, with the gas oil fraction being subjected to chromatography on a silica gel column to obtain an aromatic fraction which is then subjected to the chromatography in the above silica gel-alumina column.

Abstract: A method is described for producing a catalyst or catalyst support having both high surface area, e.g. greater than 150 m.sup.2 /g, and large pore sizes, e.g. greater than 1.0 ml/g of macropores having diameters between 1 and 50 .mu.m. According to the method, a metal oxide is mixed with water and an acid to form a dilute metal gel, preferably containing at least 70% by weight water and consisting of a loose three dimensional network of oxide containing the water evenly dispersed throughout. This gel is slowly dried at a temperature below the boiling point of water whereby a substantial proportion of the water is removed from the interior of the pore structure, leaving the three dimensional network intact. Thereafter, the dried product is calcined to form a novel catalyst or catalyst support having both high surface area and large pore sizes. The novel catalyst is useful as a component of a catalytic cracking catalyst or a hydrocracking catalyst.

Abstract: An improved process is described for the hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oils, such as oils extracted from tar sands. The heavy hydrocarbon oil feedstock in the presence of an excess of hydrogen is passed through a confined hydrocracking zone under upflow liquid conditions, and the effluent emerging from the top of the hydrocracking zone is passed into a hot separator where it is separated into a gaseous stream containing hydrogen and vaporous hydrocarbons and a liquid stream containing heavy hydrocarbons. The hot separator is maintained near the temperature of the hydrocracking zone and the effluent from the hydrocracking zone enters the separator in a lower region below the liquid level in the separator.

Abstract: An improved process is described for the hydrocracking of heavy hydrocarbon oil, such as oils extracted from tar sands. The charge oil in the presence of an excess of hydrogen is passed through a tubular hydrocracking zone, and the effluent emerging from the top of the zone is separated into a gaseous stream containing a wide boiling range material and a liquid stream containing heavy hydrocarbons. According to the novel feature, the charge oil is in the form of a slurry together with an iron-coal catalyst. The presence of this catalyst in the charge oil serves to greatly reduce coke precursors, such as benzene and pentane insolubles, and thereby prevent the formation of carbonaceous deposits in the reaction zone.