Fuels Management, Inc.

River Basin Energy, Inc.

Fmi Newcoal, Inc.

Donald D Dunlop

Leon C Kenyon, Jr

Vijay K Sethi

Clinton B Camper

A process for drying coal is provided in which coal is passed into a fluidized bed reactor and heated to a predetermined temperature. The dried coal is then fed to a cooler where the temperature of the product is reduced to approximately 200 degrees Fahrenheit and water is added to further passivate the coal.

Process for drying coal

Thus, a novel process for producing a passivated coal material has been disclosed, comprising the steps of (a) drying a coal material by heating said coal material in the presence of a first gas comprised of less than about five volume percent of oxygen until said coal material has a moisture content of from above about 1 to about 20 weight percent, thereby producing a partially dried coal material, wherein said coal material is selected from the group consisting of lignitic coal, sub-bituminous coal, bituminous coal, coal char, and mixtures thereof; (b) heating said partially dried coal material to a temperature of from about 100 to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit, thereby producing a heated partially dried coal material; (c) charging said heated partially dried coal material to a fluidized bed reactor; (d) feeding a second gas with an oxygen content of from about 6 to about 15 volume percent into said fluidized bed reactor; (e) contacting said heated partially dried coal material with said second gas while maintaining said heated partially dried coal material at a temperature of from about 450 to about 650 degrees Fahrenheit; and, thereafter, (f) removing water from said heated partially dried coal material until no more than about 1 weight percent of water remains in said heated partially dried coal material.

Process for in-situ passivation of partially-dried coal

A multistage process for drying coal in which coal is passed into a first fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of 300 to 550 degrees Fahrenheit, air is fed into the first reactor in order to maintain the density of the fluidized bed at from 20 to 50 pounds per cubic foot, and from about 40 to about 60 percent of the water from the coal is removed from the coal and the first reactor. The partially dried coal is then fed to a second fluidized bed reactor which is maintained at a temperature at least 50 degrees Fahrenheit higher than that present in the first reactor, and substantially all of the water remaining in the coal is removed from the coal.

A process for preparing an irreversibly dried coal. In the first step of the process, a first fluidized bed reactor with a bed whose density is from about 30 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot and whose temperature is from about 480 to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit is contacted with a coal with a moisture content of from about 15 to about 30 percent, liquid phase water, inert gas, and air. The comminuted and dewatered coal produced in the first fluidized bed reactor is then passed to a second fluidized bed with a density of from about 30 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot and a temperature of from about 215 to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit, to which water, inert gas, and from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percent of mineral oil with an initial boiling point of at least about 900 degrees Fahrenheit is also fed; the temperature of the comminuted and dewatered coal is reduced to the temperature of from about 215 to about 250 degrees Fahrenheit in less than about 120 seconds.

Process for processing coal

A process for preparing an irreversibly dried coal. In the first step of this process, there is provided a fluidized bed reactor with a fluidized bed density of from about 20 to about 40 pounds cubic feet, which is at a temperature of from about 480 to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit. To this reactor is fed coal with a moisture content of from about 25 to about 30 percent, an oxygen content of from about 10 to about 20 percent, and a volatile matter content of from about 35 to about 45 percent; also fed to this reactor is from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percent (by weight of dried coal) of mineral oil with an initial boiling point of at least about 900 degrees Fahrenheit. A coated coal is produced in the reactor, and it is subjected to a temperature of from about 480 to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit for from about 1 to about 5 minutes while simultaneously being comminuted and dewatered. The comminuted and dewatered coal is passed to an elutriator in which said comminuted and dehydrated coal is contacted with air and separated into a coarse fraction and a fine fraction. The coarse fraction from the elutriator is fed to the fluidized bed, while the fine fraction from the elutriator is quenched to reduce its temperature to ambient temperature within about 5 seconds.

A process for preparing an irreversibly dried coal in which coal with a moisture content of from about 5 to about 30 percent and a combined oxygen content of from about 10 to about 20 percent, and mineral oil with an initial boiling point of at least about 900 degrees Fahrenheit, are fed to a fluidized bed reactor with a fluidized bed density of from about 10 to about 40 pounds per cubic foot. The coal becomes coated with the mineral oil, and the coated coal is maintained within the fluidized bed at a temperature of from about 225 to about 500 degrees Fahrenheit for from about 1 to about 5 minutes while simultaneously comminuting and dewatering the coated coal.

Aa process for preparing an irreversibly dried coal which utilizes a fluidized bed reactor with a fluidized bed density of from about 20 to about 40 pounds cubic feet which is at a temperature of from about 150 to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit. To this reactor is fed coal with a moisture content of from about 25 to about 30 percent, an oxygen content of from about 10 to about 20 percent, and a volatile matter content of from about 35 to about 45 percent; and it is subjected to a temperature of from about 150 to about 200 degrees Fahrenheit for from about 1 to about 5 minutes while simultaneously being comminuted and dewatered. The comminuted and dewatered coal is passed to a second fluidized bed reactor with a fluidized bed density of from about 20 to about 40 pounds per cubic foot and a reactor temperature of from about 480 to about 600 degrees Fahrenheit. Also fed to this second fluidized bed reactor is from about 0.5 to about 3.0 weight percent of mineral oil.

A process for simultaneously improving the fuel properties of coal and oil is described. In the first step of this process, two fluidized beds are provided. The first fluidized bed has a fluidized density of from about 20 to about 50 pounds per cubic foot and is at a temperature of from about 850 to about 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The second fluidized bed is similar to the first but is at a slightly higher temperature. Coal and oil are fed into the first fluidized bed. A portion of the coal/oil mixture from the first bed is fed to the second bed, wherein it is combusted. Combustion product from the second bed is fed to the first bed.

Growing community of inventors

Miami, FL, United States of America

Donald D Dunlop