Abstract: Aluminum phenoxide catalyst is removed from a phenolic alkylation mixture by adding 15-30 moles of water per mole of aluminum phenoxide to the alkylation mixture and holding at about 30.degree.-100.degree. C. for 10-60 minutes to form solids and heating the wet mixture to 120.degree.-160.degree. C. and holding at that temperature until filterable particulates form. The particulates can be readily filtered to obtain a substantially aluminum-free filtrate.

Abstract: Phenol is di-orthoalkylated in high yield by reacting, in a first stage, phenol containing only 1 mole of an aluminum phenoxide for each 100-800 moles of phenol with an olefin at 85.degree.-175.degree. C. until the reaction mixture contains 3 wt percent or less phenol and then, in a second stage, continuing the reaction at 25.degree.-80.degree. C. until the mixture contains a substantial amount of 2,6-di-alkylphenol.

Abstract: Phenols are selectively orthoalkylated in higher yields by the reverse addition of a phenol-aluminum phenoxide mixture to an olefin at alkylation temperature and under pressure sufficient to maintain a liquid olefin phase.

Abstract: Shale oil is recovered from an underground oil shale deposit by in-situ retorting of rubblized shale in a retort formed in the deposit. Oil shale in a volume in the range of ten to fifty percent of the volume of the retort is mined from the deposit and delivered to the surface to provide void space for the expansion of the shale that occurs on rubblization to form the in-situ retort. The oil shale delivered to the surface is retorted at the surface. After completion of the in-situ retorting, boreholes are drilled downwardly through the retorted shale and a pipe lowered through the borehole to a level near the bottom of the retort. Spent shale from the surface retorting operation is slurried and pumped into the lower end of the in-situ retort. Pumping is continued to squeeze the slurry into the fissures between blocks of spent shale. The slurry is delivered into successively higher levels of the retort and the pumping and squeezing operation repeated at each level.

Abstract: This invention relates to a process for retorting raw shale comprising the following steps:(1) passing raw shale downwardly through the upper zone of a two-zoned vertical retort;(2) introducing a gas comprising molecular oxygen and flue gas at a temperature of about 590.degree. to about 760.degree. C., and ambient pressure into said upper zone and passing the same upwardly through said upper zone in contact with said raw shale;(3) recovering from an upper part of said upper zone a product comprising shale oil and retort gas;(4) passing the treated shale from a lower part of said upper zone downwardly through the lower zone of said two-zoned retort;(5) introducing molecular oxygen at a temperature of about 25.degree. to about 100.degree. C. and flue gas at a temperature of about 25.degree. to about 200.degree. C.

Abstract: An improved process for recovering shale oil from in-situ shale comprising the steps of: (1) mining a first portion of said shale; (2) fragmenting a second portion of said shale; (3) introducing into said second portion a mixture of gases comprising a molecular oxygen supplying gas, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide while maintaining a temperature sufficient to convert kerogen in said second portion to shale oil and to produce carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, gaseous hydrocarbons and other combustion and inert gases; (4) separating said shale oil from an offgas containing said carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, gaseous hydrocarbons and other combustion and inert gases; (5) separating hydrogen sulfide and a first portion of carbon dioxide from a gas of low sulfur content and increased heating value comprising said gaseous hydrocarbons and other combustion and inert gases and a second portion of said carbon dioxide; and (6) recycling said hydrogen sulfide and said first portion of said carbon dioxide to step

Abstract: A method is provided for removing ammonia from the sour water stream of a coal gasification process. The basic steps comprise stripping the ammonia from the sour water; heating the stripped ammonia to a temperature from between 400.degree. to 1,000.degree. F; passing the gaseous ammonia through a reactor containing a sulfided catalyst to produce elemental hydrogen and nitrogen; and scrubbing the reaction product to obtain an ammonia-free gas. The residual equilibrium ammonia produced by the reactor is recycled into the stripper. The ammonia-free gas may be advantageously treated in a Claus process to recover elemental sulfur. Iron sulfide or cobalt molybdenum sulfide catalysts are used.

Abstract: An electrode assembly comprising a high voltage electrode having a generally cylindrical shape and being electrically connected to a high voltage source, where the cylinder walls may be open to flow of fluids and solids; an electrically grounded support electrode supporting said high voltage electrode by an electrically insulating support where both of the electrically grounded and electrically insulating support may be hollow; and an electrically grounded liner electrode arranged concentrically around both the high voltage and support electrodes. This assembly is specifically adapted for use in a fluidized bed chemical reactor as an improved heating means therefor.

Abstract: A process for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in a combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases containing carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon dioxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The water vapor in the gasifier product stream is condensed and the condensate is used to scrub char and pollutants from the same gasifier product stream to form a slurry which is utilized as fuel in the combustion zone.

Abstract: A process for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases comprising carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon monoxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A high sulfur carbonaceous material from an external process comprises at least in part said first stream of coal entering the combustion zone and the sulfur dioxide produced therefrom in the combustion zone is reduced entirely to hydrogen sulfide in passage through the fluid bed gasifier zone.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in a combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases containing carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon dioxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Char produced in the fluid bed is elutriated overhead and material in the fluid bed is prevented from direct entry into the combustion zone. The ratio of carbonaceous material to ash in the char removed overhead is lower than the average ratio of carbonaceous material to ash in the solids in the fluid bed.

Abstract: A process for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in a combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases comprising carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon dioxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. A foul water stream from an external process containing pollutants and/or dissolved salts is charged to the combustion zone resulting in combustion of pollutants and slagging of dissolved salts contained therein.

Abstract: A process for gasifying coal to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen in which a first stream of coal is burned without bed formation in a combustion zone in the presence of water under oxidation conditions to produce gases containing carbon dioxide and steam. A second stream of coal is maintained as a fluid bed in a separate gasifier zone by upflowing carbon dioxide and steam from the combustion zone while being gasified under reducing conditions to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. Feed coal for both streams is first passed through a crusher and the crushed coal is elutriated to remove coal fines, which are too small to be retained in the gasifier fluid bed, from coarse particulates. The elutriated fines are water scrubbed to form a slurry which comprises at least in part said first stream of coal entering the combustion zone, while the coarse particulates comprise said second stream of coal.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for withdrawing agglomerated solids from a fluidizing chamber housing a main, fluidized bed of finely divided solids which comprises at least one withdrawal chamber having a width less than the fluidizing chamber and positioned below the fluidized bed. This withdrawal chamber has sufficient dimensions (width (or diameter when cylindrical) and depth) to contain a second fluidized or semi-fixed bed within said chamber when a high velocity gas stream is introduced into the bottom portion of the withdrawal chamber. This high velocity gas stream forms an inverted cone in the withdrawal chamber, wherein the walls of the cone are defined by the fluidized or semi-fixed bed within the withdrawal chamber. The velocity of the gas stream is adjusted to selectively remove high density agglomerates downward from the main fluidized bed without removing the fluidized solids in admixture therewith.