Laboratory Program to Support H-Coal Pilot Plant Operations. Commercial Study for Production of Boiler Fuel with the H-Coal Process at 3000 Psig

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine relative economics when: Varying catalyst replacement rate; varying method of hydrogen manufacture; varying method for purifying the recycle hydrogen stream; and producing a 200 SSU fuel oil versus a clean solids fuel. Eight plants have been designed in conjunction with the study, each designed to process 25,000 tons per day of moisture-free coal. As a result of the studies performed to date, and using the given economic parameters, the following conclusions have been reached: A catalyst replacement rate in the range of 0.5 to 1 pound per ton dry feed coal provides the optimum economics when producing a 200 SSU fuel oil and naphtha, at 3000 psig, and when both products are valued equally. Within the range of catalyst replacement rates studies (0.5 to 1.5), a replacement rate of 0.5 is the optimum when the naphtha is valued significantly higher than the fuel oil. It appears to be more economic to use part of the recovered oil product to put a plant in fuel balance than to gasify additional coal to a low pressure fuel gas via Koppers-Totzek. An H-Coal plant can be designed to manufacture the required hydrogen by steam reforming of the refinery gases produced or by the partial oxidation of a heavy oil-unconverted coal-ash slurry. Recycle hydrogen to the H-Coal reactor can be purified by one of three methods described. Coal price has a much greater effect on oil product price than catalyst replacement rate. Table 2.0-4 summarizes the net plant products and by-products along with their properties for each of the cases. (ERA citation 06:023004)