5 Exxon Donor Solvent, Coal Liquefaction Process Development
Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO on June 4, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: November 21, 1979 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1979-0110.ch005
W. R. EPPERLY and J. W. TAUNTON Exxon Research and Engineering Company, P.O. Box 101, Florham Park, NJ 07932
This paper describes the status of the development of the Exxon Donor Solvent (or EDS) coal liquefaction process. It includes an overview of the jointly funded project and a brief description of the EDS process. It also includes a discussion of the project status, including a description of coal feed flexibility, hydrogen and fuel gas production alternatives and the progress in the construction of the 250 T/D pilot plant. Other communications have covered the R&D program, the outlook for commercialization, and the organization of the EDS Project(1,2,3,4,5,6,7). The goal of the EDS coal liquefaction project is to develop the process to a state of commercial readiness. This means that the technology should be available at the end of the project to design and build a full-scale, pioneer commercial plant with a reasonable and acceptable level of risk. In the EDS process development, bench scale research, operation of small pilot units, and engineering design and technology studies are being integrated with operation of a 250 T/D pilot plant and a 70 T/D FLEXICOKING* prototype unit. (*Service Mark) EDS PROCESS DESCRIPTION The process sequence shown i n F i g u r e 1 i s designed to maximize l i q u i d products. The feed c o a l i s crushed, d r i e d , and s l u r r i e d w i t h hydrogenated r e c y c l e s o l v e n t (the donor s o l v e n t ) and fed t o the l i q u e f a c t i o n r e a c t o r i n admixture w i t h gaseous hydrogen. The r e a c t o r design i s r e l a t i v e l y simple: an upward plug f l o w design w i t h o p e r a t i n g c o n d i t i o n s of 800-900°F and about 2000 PSI t o t a l pressure. The r e a c t o r e f f l u e n t i s separated by a s e r i e s of c o n v e n t i o n a l d i s t i l l a t i o n steps i n t o a r e c y c l e s o l v e n t depleted o f i t s donor hydrogen, l i g h t hydrocarbon gases, C4-1000°F d i s t i l l a t e , and a heavy vacuum bottoms stream c o n t a i n i n g 1000°F+liquids, un0-8412-0516-7/79/47-110-071$05.00/0 © 1979 American Chemical Society
In Coal Conversion Technology; Pelofsky, A.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1979.
Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SAN DIEGO on June 4, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: November 21, 1979 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1979-0110.ch005
C O A L CONVERSION
TECHNOLOGY
CATALYTIC SOLVENT HYDROGENATION
GAS
STEAM REFORMING
COAL
H,0
LIQUEFACTION
DISTILLATION HEAVY BOTTOMS SLURRY
H 0 < 2
AIR
Figure 1.
FLEXICOKING
HYDROGEN
