Refining and upgrading of synfuels from coal and oil shales by advanced catalytic processes

Abstract

Two H-Coal syncrudes derived from Illinois No. 6 and Wyodak coals were refined in an extensive program which included pilot plant and laboratory studies. These studies demonstrated that advanced, commercial petroleum technology can be used to refine these syncrudes to gasoline, jet, diesel, and heating fuels. The H-Coal syncrudes have a low hydrogen content, compared to petroleum, and high concentrations of oxygen and nitrogen impurities. These syncrudes are a blend of two H-Coal distillates boiling between C/sub 5/ and 680/sup 0/F. Consequently, they contain no residua and have about 95% boiling in the gasoline or diesel fuel ranges. With these properties, an appropriate way to refine the sycrudes is by hydroprocessing. Hydroprocessing yields a volume of finished products which is almost equivalent to the original volume of syncrude. In addition, the heteroatoms are ultimately removed as sulfur and salable ammonia. The engineering studies provided estimates of the refining costs.