Direct Liquefaction Technology Assessment. Task 1. Technical Readiness of the Developing Plant Functions

摘要

A review was made of the technological readiness of processes for the direct liquefaction of coal. The review was based principally on the experience gained in large pilot plants such as SRC, H-Coal, and EDS. It was concluded that a commercial-scale direct coal liquefaction facility could be designed and constructed using available technology to give predictable yields and acceptable mechanical performance. Although some problems would undoubtedly be associated with scale-up in a large plant, there is no reason to believe that the occurrence of these would exceed a normal level. After large-scale testing, two major equipment items, the fired preheater and the high-pressure vapor-liquid separator, might be redesigned to significantly reduce costs. Likewise, recent developmental results indicate that substantially greater yields of the more desirable liquid products may be attainable through process modification, which could have a significant effect on the economic viability of direct coal liquefaction. The report discusses the following plant functions in detail: coal slurry preparation, fired preheaters, coal dissolution, high-pressure vapor-liquid separation, residue processing, hydroclone operation, and product upgrading. Critical equipment components such as high-pressure pumps, block valves, letdown valves, and instrumentation are also discussed. 52 figs., 78 tabs. (ERA citation 10:048038)