Exxon Research and Engineering Company

James M Eakman

Nicholas Charles Nahas

Harry A Marshall

LeRoy R Clavenna

Charles A Euker, Jr

Theodore Kalina

Leo D Brown

Frederick M Gragg

Denise Y Wolfs

Le Roy Clavenna

Carbon-containing solids such as oil shale or coal are pyrolyzed or retorted in an apparatus constructed in such a manner that the heat required for pyrolysis is supplied by burning residual organic material in the pyrolyzed solids in an external combustion zone and in an internal combustion zone that is situated with respect to the pyrolysis or retorting zone such that the heat of combustion is transferred through the walls of the internal combustion zone into the pyrolysis or retorting zone. The pyrolyzed solids are passed from the retorting zone to either the external combustion zone or the internal combustion zone wherein a portion of the organic material in the solids is burned. The partially burned solids exiting this zone are then passed to either the external combustion zone or the internal combustion zone where all or a portion of the remaining organic material is burned. The heat carried into the internal combustion zone with the hot solids produced by burning the organic material in the external combustion zone and the heat of combustion produced in the internal combustion zone are transferred through the walls of the internal combustion zone to supply substantially all or a major portion of the heat required to pyrolyze the carbon-containing feed solids in the retorting zone. None of the solids or flue gases produced in either the internal combustion zone or the external combustion zone are passed directly into the retorting zone.

Oil shale retorting process utilizing indirect heat transfer

A process for the separation of carbon dioxide and other acid gas components, in a compound distillation column, from a gaseous mixture comprised of one or more hydrocarbons, inclusive of methane, and hydrogen. The compound distillation column is sectioned (or zoned), one section of which is operated at higher pressure than another, and hence in a relative sense is referred to as a high pressure section while the other is referred to as a low pressure section. A product, principally methane, is removed from the high pressure section while a product of principally acid gases is removed from the low pressure section. By maintaining the sections at different pressure, the separations are more efficiently made and phase separation of products in the low pressure section is easily maintained.

Separation of carbon dioxide and other acid gas components from

Cement is produced by feeding residue solids containing carbonaceous material and ash constituents obtained from converting a carbonaceous feed material into liquids and/or gases into a cement-making zone and burning the carbon in the residue solids to supply at least a portion of the energy required to convert the solids into cement.

Cement production from coal conversion residues

A process for the production of ammonium sulfate in a multistage contactor (or column) inclusive of liquid cyclone recycle. A gas, or gases, which contains sulfur dioxide, e.g., a flue gas, is contacted with ammonia in an oxygen and water environment in a column comprised of three sections (zones). Sulfur dioxide is contacted in vapor phase in a central section of the contactor with a stoichiometric excess of ammonia in the presence of oxygen and water vapor to produce ammonium sulfate. A scrubbing section for the removal of ammonia from the effluent gas by countercurrent contact with water or acid solution is provided in the upper section of the contactor. Liquid cyclones are utilized in the lower section of the contactor where product ammonium sulfate is removed as a slurry, crystalline ammonium sulfate is removed from the slurry, and liquid is returned as recycle to the contactor.

Production of ammonium sulfate

In a coal gasification operation or similar conversion process carried out in the presence of an alkali metal-containing catalyst wherein solid particles containing alkali metal residues are produced, alkali metal constituents are recovered from the particles by treating them with a calcium or magnesium-containing compound in the presence of water at a temperature between about 250.degree. F. and about 700.degree. F. and in the presence of an added base to establish a pH during the treatment step that is higher than would otherwise be possible without the addition of the base. During the treating process the relatively high pH facilitates the conversion of water-insoluble alkali metal compounds in the alkali metal residues into water-soluble alkali metal constituents. The resultant aqueous solution containing water-soluble alkali metal constituents is then separated from the residue solids, which consist of the treated particles and any insoluble materials formed during the treatment step, and recycled to the gasification process where the alkali metal constituents serve as at least a portion of the alkali metal constituents which comprise the alkali metal-containing catalyst. Preferably, the base that is added during the treatment step is an alkali metal hydroxide obtained by water washing the residue solids produced during the treatment step.

Hydrothermal alkali metal recovery process

A high purity chemical synthesis gas is produced by reacting steam with a carbonaceous feed material in the presence of a carbon-alkali metal catalyst and substantially equilibrium quantities of added hydrogen and carbon monoxide at a temperature between about 1000.degree. F. and about 1500.degree. F. and a pressure in excess of about 100 psia to produce a raw product gas consisting essentially of equilibrium quantities, at reaction temperature and pressure, of methane, steam, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen; withdrawing the raw product gas from the gasifier and treating it for the removal of steam and acid gases to produce a treated gas containing primarily carbon monoxide, hydrogen and methane; recovering carbon monoxide and hydrogen from the treated gas as a chemical synthesis product gas; mixing the remainder of the treated gas consisting essentially of methane with steam; passing the resultant mixture into a steam reforming furnace where the methane reacts with the steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and passing the effluent from the reforming furnace into the gasifier.

Process for the production of a chemical synthesis gas from coal

An intermediate Btu gas is produced by reacting steam with a carbonaceous feed material in the presence of a carbon-alkali metal catalyst and substantially equilibrium quantities of added hydrogen and carbon monoxide at a temperature between about 1000.degree. F. and about 1500.degree. F. and a pressure in excess of about 100 psia to produce an effluent or raw product gas consisting essentially of equilibrium quantities, at reaction temperature and pressure, of methane, steam, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen; recovering at least a portion of the effluent or raw product gas from the gasifier as an intermediate Btu product gas; contacting a carbon-containing material with steam in a steam reforming zone under conditions such that at least a portion of the carbon-containing material reacts with the steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and passing the effluent from the reforming zone into the gasifier, thereby supplying the added hydrogen and carbon monoxide required in the gasifier.

Process for the production of an intermediate Btu gas

In a coal gasification operation or similar conversion process carried out in the presence of an alkali metal-containing catalyst wherein solid particles containing alkali metal residues are produced, alkali metal constituents are recovered from the particles primarily in the form of water soluble alkali metal formates by treating the particles with a calcium or magnesium-containing compound in the presence of water at a temperature between about 250.degree. F. and about 700.degree. F. and in the presence of added carbon monoxide. During the treating process the water insoluble alkali metal compounds comprising the insoluble alkali metal residues are converted into water soluble alkali metal formates. The resultant aqueous solution containing water soluble alkali metal formates is then separated from the treated particles and any insoluble materials formed during the treatment process, and recycled to the gasification process where the alkali metal formates serve as at least a portion of the alkali metal constituents which comprise the alkali metal-containing catalyst. This process permits increased recovery of alkali metal constituents, thereby decreasing the overall cost of the gasification process by reducing the amount of makeup alkali metal compounds necessary.

Hydrothermal alkali metal catalyst recovery process

A process for the separation of carbon dioxide and, optionally, other acid gas components in a distillation column, operated at high pressure and low temperature, from a gaseous mixture comprising one or more hydrocarbons, including particularly methane, and hydrogen. In its preferred aspects, the feed is predominantly methane, suitably from about 30 to about 85 mole percent and preferably from about 50 to about 80 mole percent methane. The concentration of hydrogen in the gaseous mixture will be sufficient to provide from about 6 to about 34 mole percent, preferably from about 15 to about 25 mole percent hydrogen in the rectification portion of the distillation column. The separation can be effected in a single column usually having from about 20 to about 30 theoretical distillation stages and the feed can be one constituted ab initio within the desired ranges of composition, or modified by addition of components just prior to or at the time of distillation.

An intermediate Btu gas is produced by reacting steam with a carbonaceous feed material in the presence of a carbon-alkali metal catalyst and substantially equilibrium quantities of added hydrogen and carbon monoxide at a temperature between about 1000.degree. and about 1500.degree. F. and a pressure in excess of about 100 psia to produce a raw product gas consisting essentially of equilibrium quantities, at reaction temperature and pressure, of methane, steam, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen; withdrawing the raw product gas from the gasifier and treating it for the removal of acid gases to produce a treated gas; withdrawing a portion of the treated gas as an intermediate Btu product gas; mixing the remainder of the treated gas with steam; passing the resultant mixture into a steam reforming furnace where the methane in the gas reacts with the steam to produce additional amounts of carbon monoxide and hydrogen; and passing the effluent from the reforming furnace into the gasifier.

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Houston, TX, United States of America

James M Eakman