From coal to single-stage and two-stage products: A reactive model of coal structure

The present invention addresses the processing of waste and low-value products to produce useful materials in reliable purities and compositions, at acceptable cost, without producing malodorous emissions, and with high energy efficiency. In particular, the invention comprises a multi-stage process that converts various feedstocks such as offal, animal manures, municipal sewage sludge, tires, and plastics, that otherwise have little commercial value, to useful materials including gas, oil, specialty chemicals, and carbon solids. The process subjects the feedstock to heat and pressure, separates out various components, then further applies heat and pressure to one or more of those components. Various materials produced at different points in the process may be recycled and used to play other roles within the process. The invention further comprises an apparatus for performing a multi-stage process of converting waste products into useful materials, and at least one oil product that arises from the process.

Process For Conversion of Organic, Waste, or Low-Value Materials Into Useful Products

Catalyst deactivation in heavy petroleum and synthetic crude processing: a review

In order to be able to handle multiple fuels in a bubbling-bed fluidized bed combustor, a number of elements are combined together and a number of systems are described which utilize these elements in order to be able to appropriately process different types of fuels. With respect to the handling of multiple fuels by a bubbling-bed fluidized bed combustor which need not be reconfigured for each type of fuel, the combustor in the subject invention is provided with a closely-coupled pyrolyzer or gasifier. The close-coupled pyrolyzer not only permits the processing of virtually any type of fuel into two fuel streams which are immediately usable by the combustor but also has certain advantages in terms of reducing environmental pollutants. The above-mentioned close-coupled pyrolyzer also results in improved performance aside from the pollution aspects mentioned above. The close coupling of the pyrolyzer to the fluidized bed combustor also allows fluid bed combustion systems to be built in larger capacity than heretofore possible. In one aspect of the subject invention, the close-coupled pyrolyzer permits the production of higher temperature flue gases than would be done with a fluidized bed combustor without the pyrolyzer. The subject invention also allows the use of high-moisture fuels and avoids the efficiency loss, output loss and the increased boiler size that is normally associated with those fuels. The above advantages of the close-coupled pyrolyzer are improved by the provision of some specially designed auxiliary apparatus, such as a specialized deep-bed pyrolyzer, a specialized screw feeding system and the utilization of under-the-bed cooling tubes in a fluidized bed combustor. The above has detailed the building blocks useful in numerous types of systems, three of which will be described hereinafter; namely, a system for processing refuse-derived fuels, a system for processing hazardous fuels and combined-cycle gas.

Multifuel bubbling bed fluidized bed combustor system

.[.In a hydrogenation operation employing an ebullated catalytic bed, recycle is recovered from the hydrogenated product with at least 25%, by volume, of the recycle boiling above 950° F. The recycle is cooled to a temperature of from 350° to 600° F. to separate coke precursors, prior to recycle to the hydrogenation. Higher conversion levels can be achieved by effecting recycle in such manner..]..Iadd.Disclosed is a hydrogenation process using at least one fluidized catalytic stage and a recycle material of heavy hydrogenated effluent. The heavy effluent material is cooled to a temperature within 350°-600° F. to separate toluene and heptane insoluble coke precursors prior to recycle. This separation may be enhanced by the use of centrifugation, filtration or a bed of particulate material (e.g. calcined coke). .Iaddend.

Hydrogenation of high boiling hydrocarbons

Disclosed is a three-stage process for liquefying coal in which a coal-solvent slurry is sequentially passed through a first dissolving stage and two catalytic reaction stages in series. The first catalytic reaction stage contains a catalyst having a selectivity for converting heptane insolubles to lower molecular weight compounds and a portion of the effluent from said stage is recycled for use as solvent in the dissolver. The second catalytic reactor is operated under hydrocracking conditions.

Three-stage coal liquefaction process

The Chevron coal liquefaction process (CCLP)

Disclosed is a two-stage process for the production of clean liquid hydrocarbons from coal. In the process sub-divided coal is dissolved in a process-derived solvent. The dissolver effluent is passed through a catalytic reactor operating under hydrocracking conditions, to produce normally liquid products and recycle solvent. The solvent is further subjected to treatment with an antisolvent to precipitate unconverted asphaltenes prior to recycle to the dissolution stage.

Two-stage coal liquefaction process with process-derived solvent

Disclosed is a two-stage process for the production of clean liquid hydrocarbons from coal. In the process subdivided coal is dissolved in a process derived solvent at a temperature in the range 425° C.-480° C. The dissolver effluent is passed through a catalytic reactor operating under hydrocracking conditions, including a temperature in the range 340° C.-400° C. to produce normally liquid products and recycle solvent. The solvent is further cooled to precipitate unconverted heptane insolubles prior to recycle to the dissolution stage.

Two-stage coal liquefaction process with process-derived solvent having a low heptane-insolubiles content

Disclosed is a process for the retorting of shale and other similar hydrocarbon-containing solids in which the solids to be retorted are mixed with a solid heat-transfer material to provide the necessary heat for retorting. The shale is retorted in a spouted bed of the shale and heat-transfer solids. Preferably, molecular oxygen is excluded from the retorting zone.

Christopher W. Kuehler

Papers

Three-stage coal liquefaction process

The Chevron coal liquefaction process (CCLP)

Two-stage coal liquefaction process with process-derived solvent

Two-stage coal liquefaction process with process-derived solvent having a low heptane-insolubiles content

Spouted-bed shale retorting process