Coal depolymerization and hydroprocessing
AssigneeExxon Research and Enginnering Company
InventorsGeorge M. Kramer, Edwin R. Ernst, Chang S. Hsu, Gopal H. Singhal, Peter S. Maa
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Abstract
A process for hydroprocessing coal to hydrocarbon oils wherein coal is depolymerized at low temperatures by contacting finely divided coal with a hard acid and soft base. The depolymerized coal is then hydroprocessed to hydrocarbon oils by forming a mixture with a coal conversion catalyst or precursor thereof, and hydroprocessing the mixture at temperatures of from 250.degree. to 550.degree. C. and hydrogen partial pressures of from 2100 to 35000 kPa.
Claims8
A process for the hydroprocessing of coal to produce light hydrocarbon oils which comprises:
- depolymerizing coal by mixing finely divided coal particles with a hard acid in the presence of a soft base at temperatures of from 0.degree. to 100.degree. C., said hard acid being characterized by a heat of reaction with dimethylsulfide of from 10 kcal/mol to 30 kcal/mol and said soft base being characterized by a heat of reaction with boron trifluoride of from 10 kcal/mol to 17 kcal/mol;
- extracting the depolymerized coal with a polar solvent to remove hard acid and soft base;
- forming a mixture of depolymerized coal and catalyst precursor containing a dihydrocarbyl substituted dithiocarbamate of a metal selected from any one of groups IV-B, V-A, VI-A, VII-A and VIII-A or mixtures thereof,
- hydroprocessing the mixture in the presence of a hydrocarbon oil derived from coal processing or an intermediate product stream from petroleum processing at temperatures of from 250.degree. C. to 550.degree. C. and a hydrogen partial pressure of 2100 kPa to 35000 kPa;
- and
- recovering hydrocarbon oil.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.