3. Hydrogen management
It is essentially the very low H/C atomic ratio that differentiates coal from other fossil fuels (table 10 ). Gasoline and conventional petroleum contain between 1.5 and 2 hydrogen atoms per carbon atom, while lignite contains only 0.85 and anthracite 0.4, with bituminous and sub-bituminous coals in between. This hydrogen is introduced throughout the process chain, first in the liquefaction unit, then in the hydrotreating unit, where the volume consumed depends almost directly on the gains in density and cetane required from the diesel cut via the aromatic hydrogenation and naphthenic hydrocracking reactions. This hydrogen consumption has a major impact on the efficiency of the liquefaction plant when it is produced from coal (the only possible solution in the absence of a natural gas source), due to the low hydrogen yield inherent...
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Unit operations. Chemical reaction engineering
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Hydrogen management
Overall performance of the liquefaction process
Bibliography
Websites
World Coal Institute http://www.worldcoal.org/home/
Events
World CTL Congress http://www.world-ctl2010.com
Economic performance of the CTL sector
The economic performance of the CTL sector is closely linked to the price of coal, which remains cheap compared to other energy sources, and relatively unconnected to the price of crude oil. On the basis of the same quantity of energy (British Thermal Unit BTU), coal costs around half as much as heavy fuel oil, which is itself heavily depreciated in relation to crude oil (figure
Patents
• WO2006010330, Process for direct coal liquefaction, Shenhua Group Corporation, 2006.
• US20050428, Hydroprocessing of heavy oil feedstock to form upgraded material, involves use of colloidal or molecular catalyst dispersed within heavy oil feedstock, hydrocracking reactor and hot separator, HEADWATERS HEAVY OIL LLC (HTI), 2004.
• US4816141, Catalytic two-stage liquefaction of...
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Axens http://www.axens.net
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