Refining and Upgrading of Synfuels from Coal and Oil Shales by Advanced Catalytic Processes. Laboratory and Pilot Plant Studies of the Processing of SRC-I. Second Interim Report

摘要

Solvent refined coal (SRC) from the SRC-I process is a high melting solid material that contains large amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, and metallic contaminants and is low in hydrogen content. It is a feed that is extremely difficult to convert to transportation fuels in high yields using commercial, fixed-bed, catalytic hydroprocessing technology. In this study, it was demonstrated that SRC-I can be hydrotreated in the presence of a coal-derived solvent at moderate cracking conversions (e.g., 50% conversion to material boiling below 850 exp 0 F) for at least 1000 hours without serious plugging of the catalyst bed. However, even at these relatively low conversion levels, catalyst deactivation rates are unacceptably high. With higher severity hydroprocessing, high conversions can be obtained and most of the heteroatoms can be removed. However, severe plugging occurs in the catalyst beds in a short period of time. In subsequent studies to be described in future interim reports, we have shown that coal-derived liquids such as SRC-II and H-Coal process product are relatively attractive feeds for conversion to transportation fuels. We do not regard conversion of SRC-I to transportation fuels by the routes described here as being commercially feasible. (ERA citation 05:023446)