Method for separating undesired components from coal by an explosion type comminution process

Patent · Tue Feb 02 00:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5495791

Abel, W A; Brabets, R I; Massey, L G

A process is disclosed for the fractionation of a porous or fluid-permeable hydrocarbonaceous solid, such as coal. An admixture of mineral matter and hydrocarbonaceous matter is fractured into a separate mineral enriched fraction and a separate hydrocarbonaceous enriched fraction. In this process, the hydrocarbonaceous solid is comminuted to convert the hydrocarbonaceous matter in the coal into discrete particles having a mean volumetric diameter of less than about 5 microns without substantially altering the size of the mineral matter originally present in the coal. As a result of this comminution, the hydrocarbonaceous particles can be fractionated from the mineral particles to provide a hydrocarbon fraction having a lesser concentration of minerals than in the original uncomminuted material and a mineral fraction having a higher concentration of minerals than in the original uncomminuted material. A preferred method for comminuting the porous or fluid-permeable hydrocarbonaceous solid, I.E. Coal, is to first form a slurry of coal and a fluid such as water. This slurry is then heated and pressurized to temperatures and pressures in excess of the critical temperature and pressure of the fluid. The resultant supercritically heated and pressurized slurry is then passed to an expansion zone maintained at a lower pressure, preferably about ambient pressure, to effect comminution or shattering of the solid by the rapid expansion or explosion of the fluid forced into the coal during the heating and pressurization of the slurry. The supercritical conditions employed produce a shattered product comprising a mixture of discrete comminuted hydrocarbonaceous particles having a volumetric mean particle size equivalent to less than about 5 microns in diameter and discrete inorganic and mineral particles having a mean particle size substantially unchanged from that in the original solid. This mineral fraction, in turn, is then fractionated from the hydrocarbonaceous fraction.

• Assignee: Consolidated Natural Gas Service Co Inc
• Patent Number(s): US 4313737
• OSTI ID: 5495791
• Resource Relation: Patent File Date: Filed date 6 Mar 1980; Other Information: PAT-APPL-127740
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
COAL
COMMINUTION
SEPARATION PROCESSES
MINERALS
REMOVAL
AIR POLLUTION CONTROL
CRITICAL PRESSURE
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
EXPLOSIVE FRACTURING
HYDROCARBONS
SLURRIES
WATER
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CONTROL
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FRACTURING
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
MIXTURES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
POLLUTION CONTROL
SUSPENSIONS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE
010402* - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Purification & Upgrading