Abstract: A direct coal liquefaction process and system is provided that utilizes a dispersed catalyst and recycle of atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms to produce a maximum yield of jet fuel/diesel or chemical plant feedstock while eliminating all slurry heat exchangers and a slurry preheat furnace. Process hydrogen is preheated in a heat exchanger and, if necessary, in a hydrogen furnace, and mixed with the recycled atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms being fed to the input of the direct liquefaction reactor. Heat for the hydrogen heat exchanger is provided by the overhead from the hot separator receiving the effluent from the direct liquefaction reactor. Product selectivity is controlled by operating conditions.

Abstract: A direct coal liquefaction process capable of producing unexpectedly high levels of C5/650° F. product, which process employs a relatively high ratio of solvent plus bottoms product recycle to feed coal.

Abstract: An ICBTL system and method having a low GHG footprint for converting coal or coal and biomass to liquid fuels and a biofertilizer in which a carbon-based feed is converted to liquids by direct liquefaction and optionally by indirect liquefaction and the liquids are upgraded to produce premium fuels. CO2 produced by the process is used to a produce cyanobacteria containing algal biomass and other photosynthetic microorganisms in a photobioreactor. Optionally, lipids extracted from the some of the algal biomass is hydroprocessed to produce fuel components and biomass residues and the carbon-based feed our gasified to produce hydrogen and syngas for the direct and indirect liquefaction processes. Some or all of the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms are used to produce a natural biofertilizer. CO2 may also be produced by a steam methane reformer for supplying CO2 to produce the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms.

Abstract: An integrated direct coal liquefaction and upgrading process and system in which feed coal is mixed with a coal liquefaction nominal 650° F.+ (343° C.+) fraction from atmospheric fractionator, vacuum fractionator bottoms, and recycled catalyst containing vacuum gas oil (VGO) from and upgrader and pumped to the input of the liquefaction reactor where it is mixed with preheated hydrogen. Part of the VGO fraction from the liquefaction vacuum fractionator is mixed with make-up catalyst and catalyst containing VGO fraction from the upgrader atmospheric fractionator and fed with preheated hydrogen to the input of the upgrading reactors. The output of the upgrading reactors is cooled in hot and cold separators to recover hydrogen containing gaseous components and the liquid fraction is separated in the upgrader atmospheric fractionator into product and a catalyst containing unconverted VGO stream, a portion of which forms the recycled VGO to the liquefaction slurry mix tank.

Abstract: A direct coal liquefaction process and system is provided that utilizes a dispersed catalyst and recycle of atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms to produce a maximum yield of jet fuel/diesel or chemical plant feedstock while eliminating all slurry heat exchangers and a slurry preheat furnace. Process hydrogen is preheated in a heat exchanger and, if necessary, in a hydrogen furnace, and mixed with the recycled atmospheric and vacuum fractionator bottoms being fed to the input of the direct liquefaction reactor. Heat for the hydrogen heat exchanger is provided by the overhead from the hot separator receiving the effluent from the direct liquefaction reactor. Product selectivity is controlled by operating conditions.

Abstract: A combined Direct Coal Liquefaction (DCL)/Fischer Tropsch (F-T) process and system for producing high Cetane diesel fuel by converting at least 70% of the feed coal by DCL operating at 50 to 70% conversion and gasifying the bottoms and between 0 and 30% of the feed coal to produce H2 for supply to the DCL and to upgrading and syngas for being converted to diesel by F-T. Diesel blendstocks produced by the DCL and the F-T in a ratio of 3 to 1 to 14 to 1 are blended to produce diesel fuel having a Cetane Number of at least 51 and a specific gravity of 0.845 or less.

Abstract: A direct coal liquefaction method and apparatus in which the feed coal is mixed with a recycled 600° F.+ non-donor stream in which the ratio of coal to said stream is at least 1.5:1 on a moisture free basis to form an input slurry to a DCL reactor. Hydrogen containing treat gas is supplied to the reactor. 1000° F.? bottoms from the reactor are recycled as part of the 600° F.+ non-donor stream. 1000° F.+ bottoms from the reactor are gasified in a PDX unit to provide hydrogen for the DCL reaction. The ratio of recycled bottoms to feed coal is between 1:0.5 and 1:1.5.

Abstract: A method for converting coal into BTX in which feed coal is converted to a 600-700° F.? product stream by direct liquefaction. This product stream is hydrocracked and hydroprocessed to produce a 350° F.? stream which in turn is fractionated to produce a 160° F.? stream and a 160/350° F. stream that contains 85-90% naphthenes. The 160/350° F. stream is catalytically reformed to produce an aromatic stream and a 160° F.? paraffinic stream. The aromatics stream can be separated into benzene toluene and xylene streams by distillation.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for producing liquids from coal including diesel and jet fuel blends and BTX in which the coal feed is converted to liquids in a DCL reactor, the produced liquids are upgraded and separated into, naphtha and DCL jet or diesel blend stock streams, the C3/180-350° F. stream is converted in a Fischer Tropsch reactor to produce a highly paraffinic diesel or jet fuel blend stock and the DCL and Fischer Tropsch blend stocks are blended in controlled ratios to produce premium diesel or jet fuels meeting applicable specifications.

Abstract: An ICBTL system having a low GHG footprint for converting coal or coal and biomass to liquid fuels in which a carbon-based feed is converted to liquids by direct liquefaction and optionally by indirect liquefaction and the liquids are upgraded to produce premium fuels. CO2 produced by the process is used to produce algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms in a photobioreactor. Optionally, lipids extracted from the some or all of the algal biomass is hydroprocessed to produce fuel components and biomass residues and the carbon-based feed our gasified to produce hydrogen and syngas for the direct and indirect liquefaction processes. Some or all of the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms are used to produce a natural biofertilizer. CO2 may also be produced by a steam methane reformer for supplying CO2 to produce the algal biomass and photosynthetic microorganisms.

Abstract: A method for determining a set of operating parameters for developing a commercial-scale Fischer-Tropsch catalytic plug flow process comprising the steps of: selectively feeding fresh feed gas to the inlet the first laboratory scale plug flow reactor stage of a composite multi-stage series-connected reactor, said reactant feed gas including CO and H2, said composite reactor having at least three series-connected reactor stages, the catalyst beds of the reactor stages of said composite reactor being laboratory scale and including crushed or powdered catalyst particles or commercial-size catalyst particles; and sampling and measuring the unreacted feed gas and reaction products and by products in the effluents of each of said reactor stages.

Abstract: A method for investigating longitudinally dependent properties of the composite catalyst bed of a laboratory scale plug flow reactor, comprises the steps of: supplying fresh reactant feed to the inlet of said composite catalyst bed; sampling and measuring the amounts of fresh reactant feed and amounts and characteristics of reaction products and byproducts at a plurality of positions along the length of said catalyst bed; based on the amounts of fresh reactant feed and amounts and characteristics of reaction products and byproducts at said plurality of positions, determining information concerning longitudinal gradients occurring in the composite catalyst bed of said plug flow reactor.

Abstract: A method for determining a set of operating parameters for a commercial scale plug flow catalytic process and reactor system for hydroprocessing dirty feedstocks, comprises the steps of: feeding selected partial pressures of said feedstock and hydrogen to the inlet the first reactor stage of a first composite multi-stage series-connected laboratory scale plug flow reactor including at least three reactor stages, the catalyst beds of each of said reactor stages including catalyst particles capable of catalyzing the removal by hydrogen of heteroatoms from said heterocyclic molecules; sampling the effluents of each of said reactor stages; measuring the concentration of heterocyclic molecules in said dirty feedstock in the concentrations of heterocyclic molecules and intermediate and final products and by products of the catalytic reaction in the effluents of each of said reactor stages.

Abstract: A method for determining a set of operating parameters for a commercial scale plug flow catalytic process and reactor system for hydroprocessing clean feedstocks in the presence of hydrogen, comprises the steps of: supplying a clean hydrocarbon feedstock to the inlet of a composite multistage series-connected laboratory scale plug flow reactor, the stages of said laboratory scale reactor each containing a catalyst suitable for the hydroprocessing of said feedstock; hydrocracking and isomerizing hydrocarbon molecules; sampling and measuring the concentration of reactants and catalytic process products and byproducts in the effluents of each of said reactor stages of said laboratory scale reactor for determining the nature of the catalytic reactions taking place in each such stage.

Abstract: A catalytic process development apparatus and method for simulating a commercial scale methanol and/or DME to propylene catalytic conversion system that includes a plurality of series-connected plug-flow reactors. The method involves simulating the operation of the series-connected plug-flow reactors by operating a series of multistage series-connected laboratory scale plug-flow reactors, the stages of which each containing a zeolite catalyst bed, each of the laboratory scale reactors corresponding to a separate one of the commercial scale series-connected reactors. Fresh feed, including methanol and/or DME, is supplied to the first of the laboratory scale reactor stages, and selected ones of steam, methanol and/or DME, contaminants and reaction products are supplied to selected ones of the laboratory scale reactor stages. The simulation is repeated at different sets of operating conditions and catalyst characteristics.

Abstract: Hydrogen containing tail gas from a hydrocarbon synthesis reactor is used as a hydrogen containing catalyst rejuvenating gas. If CO is present, the CO content, is less than 10 mole % of the gas and the H.sub.2 to CO mole ratio is greater than 3:1. At least a portion of the water and liquid hydrocarbons are removed from the tail gas, before it is used to rejuvenate the reversibly deactivated catalyst.

Abstract: An improved process for hydrocracking petroleum residuals wherein total conversion and the yield of lower boiling range products are increased. The hydrocracking is accomplished in the presence of a hydrogen donor solvent comprising substantially all of the liquid product having an initial boiling point substantially equal to the final boiling point of the liquid product recovered from the hydrocracked product and, generally, within the range from about 600.degree. F. to about 750.degree. F. and molecular hydrogen. The conversion is accomplished at a pressure within the range from about 1500 to about 2500 psig and at a temperature within the range from about 800.degree. to about 880.degree. F. Operation at these conditions is essential to achieving the increased conversion and the increased yield of lower boiling liquid products.

Abstract: An improved process for liquefying solid carbonaceous materials wherein increased naphtha yields are achieved by effecting the liquefaction at a pressure within the range from about 1750 to about 2800 psig in the presence of recycled bottoms and a hydrogen-donor solvent containing at least 0.8 wt % donatable hydrogen. The liquefaction is accomplished at a temperature within the range from about 700.degree. to about 950.degree. F. The coal:bottoms ratio in the feed to liquefaction will be within the range from about 1:1 to about 5:1 and the solvent or diluent to total solids ratio will be at least 1.5:1 and preferably within the range from about 1.6:1 to about 3:1. The yield of naphtha boiling range materials increases as the pressure increases but generally reaches a maximum at a pressure within the range from about 2000 to about 2500 psig.

Abstract: An improved process for the liquefaction of coal and similar solid carbonaceous materials wherein a hydrogen donor solvent or diluent derived from the solid carbonaceous material is used to form a slurry of the solid carbonaceous material and wherein the naphthenic components from the solvent or diluent fraction are separated and used as jet fuel components. The extraction increases the relative concentration of hydroaromatic (hydrogen donor) components and as a result reduces the gas yield during liquefaction and decreases hydrogen consumption during said liquefaction. The hydrogenation severity can be controlled to increase the yield of naphthenic components and hence the yield of jet fuel and in a preferred embodiment jet fuel yield is maximized while at the same time maintaining solvent balance.