# US 10,119,089 B2 · Coal char passivation process and apparatus

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- Number: US 10,119,089 B2
- Document ID: US10119089B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/309,592
- Filed: 2015-05-06
- Published: 2017-06-29
- Granted: 2018-11-06
- Earliest claimed: 2014-05-09
- Assignees: C2O Technologies, LLC
- Applicants: C2O Technologies, LLC
- Inventors: Franklin G. Rinker; Deane Avent Horne; Timothy J. Kuhn; Robert W. Mueller; James Darrell Kinder
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119089B2

## CPC

- C10L 9/08: by heat treatments, e.g. calcining
- C10B 47/20: according to the moving bed type (C10B47/26 takes precedence)
- C10B 51/00: Destructive distillation of solid carbonaceous materials by combined direct and indirect heating
- C10B 53/04: of powdered coal
- C10B 57/005: {After-treatment of coke, e.g. calcination desulfurization}
- C10L 9/00: Treating solid fuels to improve their combustion
- C10L 9/06: by oxidation
- C10L: FUELS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; NATURAL GAS; SYNTHETIC NATURAL GAS OBTAINED BY PROCESSES NOT COVERED BY SUBCLASSES C10G OR C10K; LIQUIFIED PETROLEUM GAS; USE OF ADDITIVES TO FUELS OR FIRES; FIRE-LIGHTERS
- C10B: DESTRUCTIVE DISTILLATION OF CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS FOR PRODUCTION OF GAS, COKE, TAR, OR SIMILAR MATERIALS (cracking oils C10G; underground gasification of minerals E21B43/295)

## Abstract

A continuous process and apparatus for treating dried coal and coal char to promote passivation of the reactive carbon particles by forming a protective oxide coating and simultaneously adding moisture to rehydrate said particles. The passivation process is conducted in a novel apparatus providing for the staged control of the reaction temperature and the staged introduction of both oxygen and moisture. The fluidized bed apparatus has internal in-bed cooling means embedded within the fluidized coal or coal char particles so as to remove the heat energy as it is released by virtue of the exothermic passivation reactions.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for passivating coal char comprising:
fluidizing the coal char particles with a fluidizing gas stream injected into the reaction chamber of a fluidized bed reactor maintained at a temperature from about 110° F. to about 140° F. (about 43° C. to about 60° C.);
passivating the char particles as they are fluidized by contacting them with oxygen and moisture in the reaction chamber, wherein the char in the fluidized bed reacts with oxygen exothermically and takes up moisture from about 3% to about 7% by weight; and
cooling the char particles as they are fluidized and reacted exothermically by contacting them with an internal heat exchange system having heat exchange surfaces within the fluidized bed reactor.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising chemisorbing oxygen onto the surfaces or into the pores of the coal char particles.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the coal char particles with moisture by spraying water into the fluidized reaction chamber.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising contacting the coal char particles with moisture by spraying water into the fluidizing gas stream prior to injecting it into the chamber.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising separating any char particulates carried out of the chamber by the fluidizing gas stream from the gas stream using a cyclone separator and returning the particulates to the chamber.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the temperature of the char in the fluidized bed reaction chamber is maintained from about 115° F. to about 135° F. (about 46° C. to about 57° C.).

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the char particles are completely passivated in a time less than about 60 minutes.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the char in the fluidized bed reactor takes up oxygen from about 0.2% to about 0.7% by weight.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the char in the fluidized bed reactor takes up moisture from about 4% to about 6% by weight.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8 wherein the char in the fluidized bed reactor takes up oxygen from about 0.3% to about 0.6% by weight.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 wherein the fluidized bed reactor includes multiple lateral sections each containing separate internal heat exchanger systems and temperature controls, the method further comprising maintaining the temperature of the char in a first lateral section independently from the temperature of the char in a second lateral section.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11 further comprising controlling coolant flow through the internal heat exchangers such that heat is removed more rapidly from a first lateral section than a subsequent lateral section.