Process for the production and recovery of fuel values from coal
AssigneeOccidental Petroleum Corporation
InventorsAllan Sass, Harry E. McCarthy, Paul R. Kaufman, Clement S. Finney
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of pyrolyzing and desulfurizing coal in a transport reactor to recover volatile fuel values and hydrogen by heating particulate coal entrained in a carrier gas substantially free of oxygen to a pyrolysis temperature in a zone within three seconds.
Claims73
A process for the pyrolysis of coal to produce volatile fuel values and char therefrom comprising:
- a. continuously introducing into a pyrolysis zone
- i. particulate coal having a particle size less than about 14 mesh,
- ii. heated particulate char at a temperature of between about 1000.degree. F. and the ash softening temperature of said particulate char, and
- iii. a gas,
- substantially without introducing free oxygen into said pyrolysis zone, and maintaining said coal and char in turbulent gas-entrained flow in said pyrolysis zone wherein the parts by weight of said particulate char to the total weight of particulate char and particulate coal being introduced into said pyrolysis zone is such as to permit said particulate coal to be heated within said pyrolysis zone to a temperature of between about 900.degree. F. and about 1400.degree. F. to produce a product stream containing a first gaseous product and a first solid product, said first gaseous product comprising said gas introduced into said pyrolysis zone and volatile fuel values produced from said particulate coal, and said first solid product comprising said particulate char introduced into said pyrolysis zone and a char produced from said coal;
- b. removing said product stream from said pyrolysis zone;
- c. substantially separating said first solid product from said first gaseous product;
- and
- d. heating at least a portion of said first solid product, before permitting substantial exposure of same to free oxygen, to a temperature of between about 1200.degree. F. to about 1800.degree. F. to evolve a second gaseous product which is a hydrogen-rich gas, and to produce a second solid product.
A process for the pyrolysis of coal to produce volatile fuel values and char therefrom comprising:
- a. continuously introducing into a pyrolysis zone
- i. a particulate coal having a particle size less than about 14 mesh,
- ii. a heated particulate char at a temperature of between about 1000.degree. F. and the ash softening temperature of said particulate char, and
- iii. a gas,
- substantially without introducing free oxygen into said pyrolysis zone, and maintaining said coal and char in turbulent gas-entrained flow in said pyrolysis zone, wherein said particulate coal has a residence time in said pyrolysis zone of between about 0.01 second and about 3 seconds, and wherein the parts by weight of said particulate char-to-the total weight of particulate char and particulate coal being introduced into said pyrolysis zone is such as to permit said particulate coal to be heated within said pyrolysis zone to a temperature of between about 900.degree. F. and about 1400.degree. F. to produce a product stream containing a first gaseous product and a first solid product, said first gaseous product comprising said gas introduced into said pyrolysis zone, and said volatile fuel values produced from said particulate coal, and said first solid product comprising said particulate char introduced into said pyrolysis zone and a char produced from said coal;
- b. removing said product stream from said pyrolysis zone;
- c. substantially separating said first solid product from said first gaseous product;
- d. heating at least a portion of said first solid product, before permitting substantial exposure of same to free oxygen, to a temperature of between about 1200.degree. F. to about 1800.degree. F. to evolve by decomposition of said first solid product a second gaseous product which is a hydrogen-rich gas, and to produce a second solid product;
- e. heating at least a portion of said first solid product to a temperature between about 1000.degree. F. and the ash softening temperature of said first solid product and using it as said heated particulate char introduced into said pyrolysis zone;
- f. cooling said first gaseous product to produce a condensed product and an uncondensed product;
- and
- g. wherein said gas introduced into said pyrolysis zone is at least in part a product of said process.
A process for the pyrolysis of coal to produce volatile fuel values and char therefrom comprising:
- a. continuously introducing into a pyrolysis zone
- i. particulate coal having a particle size less than about 14 mesh,
- ii. heated particulate char at a temperature of between about 1000.degree. F. and the ash softening temperature of said particulate char, and
- iii. a gas,
- substantially without introducing free oxygen into said pyrolysis zone, and maintaining said coal and char in turbulent gas-entrained flow in said pyrolysis zone wherein the parts by weight of said particulate char-to-the total weight of particulate char and particulate coal being introduced into said pyrolysis zone is such as to permit said particulate coal to be heated within said pyrolysis zone to a temperature of between about 900.degree. F. and about 1400.degree. F. to produce a product stream containing a first gaseous product and a first solid product, said first gaseous product comprising said gas introduced into said pyrolysis zone and volatile fuel values produced from said particulate coal, and said first solid product comprising said particulate char introduced into said pyrolysis zone and a char produced from said coal;
- b. removing said product stream from said pyrolysis zone;
- c. substantially separating said first solid product from said first gaseous product;
- and
- d. heating at least a portion of said first solid product to a temperature of between about 2300.degree. F. and about 2800.degree. F. in a non-oxidizing environment to reduce the sulfur content thereof and to produce a second solid product.
In a process for the pyrolysis of coal to produce a first char product and a first gaseous product comprising volatile fuel values wherein particulate coal is heated to an elevated temperature with a heated particulate char in a pyrolysis zone which is operated substantially without introducing free oxygen thereto, and wherein said heating is controlled by adjusting the properties of materials introduced to the pyrolysis zone such as the particle size of said particulate coal, the temperature of said heated particulate char, the ratio of particulate coal-to-heated particulate char, and the period of time of heating, the improvement which comprises heating at least a portion of said first char product before permitting substantial exposure of it to a source of free oxygen to a temperature between about 1200.degree. F. and about 1800.degree. F. in a substantial absence of free oxygen to evolve a second gaseous product which is a hydrogen-rich gas, and to produce a second char product.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.