DOE indirect liquefaction program
Processes for the hydrogenation of carbon monoxide have had commercial importance since about 1920, when the commercial production of methanol and higher alcohols on oxide catalysts began. Soon thereafter Fischer and Tropsch discovered that liquid hydrocarbons could be synthesized from carbon monoxide and hydrogen over Group VIII metal catalysts. Following extensive catalyst and process development efforts, this technology provided Germany with a source of liquid fuels during World War II. The period following the war saw an acceleration in research and development on the Fischer-Tropsch process, but the only commercial application that was to emerge was the SASOL process in the Union of South Africa. The oil crises of the 1970s have rekindled worldwide interest in indirect liquefaction technologies for the production of clean, high-quality motor fuels from coal. The development of more efficient coal gasification processes and the advent of molecular sieve catalysts that allow tailoring of product distributions have set the stage for revolutionary improvements in process designs over state-of-the-art technology. This paper reviews, in brief, the research and development projects that the Department of Energy is sponsoring in the area of synthesis gas conversion to liquid fuels. These projects range from pilot-plant-scale operations, such as the fluidized-bed MTG plant in Wesseling, FRG, to basic research into reaction mechanisms at universities and government laboratories. 23 refs., 1 fig., 2 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- USDOE Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, PA
- OSTI ID:
- 5758983
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-8505161-2; ON: DE85012223
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
010405* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Hydrogenation & Liquefaction
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
COAL LIQUEFACTION
FISCHER-TROPSCH SYNTHESIS
FLUIDIZED BEDS
FLUIDS
GASES
HISTORICAL ASPECTS
LIQUEFACTION
MOBIL M-GASOLINE PROCESS
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
SASOL PROCESS
SYNTHESIS GAS
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS