Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Frank F Tao

Rustom Merwan Billimoria

Martin Leo Gorbaty

Peter S Maa

Karl W Plumlee

Christopher G Lington

Sioma Zaczepinski

An improved coking process for normally solid carbonaceous materials wherein the yield of liquid product from the coker is increased by adding ammonia or an ammonia precursor to the coker. The invention is particularly useful in a process wherein coal liquefaction bottoms are coked to produce both a liquid and a gaseous product. Broadly, ammonia or an ammonia precursor is added to the coker ranging from about 1 to about 60 weight percent based on normally solid carbonaceous material and is preferably added in an amount from about 2 to about 15 weight percent.

Coking and gasification process

Coal, petroleum residuum and similar carbonaceous feed materials are subjected to hydroconversion in the presence of molecular hydrogen to produce a hydroconversion effluent which is then subjected to one or more separation steps to remove lower molecular weight liquids and produce a heavy bottoms stream containing high molecular weight liquids and unconverted carbonaceous material. The viscosity of the bottoms streams produced in the separation step or steps is prevented from increasing rapidly by treating the feed to the separation step or steps with ammonia gas prior to or during the separation step or steps. The viscosity of the heavy bottoms stream produced in the final separation step is also controlled by treating these bottoms with ammonia gas. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the effluent from the hydroconversion reactor is subjected to an atmospheric distillation followed by a vacuum distillation and the feeds to these distillations are contacted with ammonia during the distillations.

Use of ammonia to reduce the viscosity of bottoms streams produced in

Char fines produced by the gasification of coal or other carbonaceous solids are coked in the presence of heavy hydrocarbon oils, preferably 1000.degree. F.+ bottoms products from a coal liquefaction process, to produce gaseous products, liquids, and larger coke particles. The coke particles thus produced may be fed to the gasifier for the production of additional gaseous products which can be used as fuel, employed as a source of hydrogen for coal liquefaction operations, or utilized for the production of hydrocarbon liquids.

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Baytown, TX, United States of America

Frank F Tao