Assessment of ether and alcohol fuels from coal. Volume I. Summary. Final report. [Mixtures of ethers and higher alcohols with gasoline]

Technical Report · Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:5848894

A unique route for the indirect liquefaction of coal to produce transportation fuel has been evaluated. The resultant fuel includes alkyl tertiary alkyl ethers and higher alcohols, all in the gasoline boiling range. When blended into gasoline, the ether fuel provides several advantages over the lower alcohols: (1) lower chemical oxygen content, (2) less severe water separation problems, and (3) reduced front-end volatility effects. The ether fuel also has high octane quality. Further, it can be utilized as a gasoline substitute in all proportions. Vehicle performance tests of blends of a prototype ether fuel in gasoline, covering the concentration range from 0 to 100%, are described. Production of ether fuel combines several steps, all of which are or have been practiced on an industrial scale: (1) coal gasification, (2) gas cleanup and shift to desired H/sub 2/:CO ratio, (3) conversion of synthesis gas to isobuanol, methanol, and higher alcohols, (4) separation of alcohols, (5) chemical dehydration of isobutanol to isobutylene, and (6) etherification of isobutylene with methanol. A pilot plant investigation of the isobutanol synthesis step provided process information necessary to develop a preliminary engineering design and to project prototype ether fuel compositions. Estimates of ether fuel manufacturing costs indicate this process route is significantly more costly than synthesis of methanol. The fuel performance features provide incentive for developing the necessary process and catalyst improvements. Co-production of higher moelcular weight co-solvent alcohols represents a less drastic form of methanol modification to achieve improvement in the performance of methanol-gasoline blends. Costs were estimated for producing several proportions of methanol plus higher alcohols from coal. Estimated fuel selling price increases regularly but modestly with higher alcohol content.

• Research Organization: Suntech, Inc., Marcus Hook, PA (USA). Applied Research Dept.
• DOE Contract Number: AC04-78CS54045
• OSTI ID: 5848894
• Report Number(s): DOE/CS/54045-1-Vol.1-Summ.; ON: DE83017589
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

10 SYNTHETIC FUELS
01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
ALCOHOLS
MIXTURES
SYNTHESIS
COAL GASIFICATION
ETHERS
GASOLINE
LIQUID FUELS
ECONOMICS
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
PERFORMANCE TESTING
METHANOL
2-METHYLPROPANOL
2-METHYLPROPENE
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ANTIKNOCK RATINGS
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
COPPER OXIDES
NUMERICAL DATA
PURIFICATION
SHIFT PROCESSES
SYNTHESIS GAS
ZINC OXIDES
ALKENES
CHALCOGENIDES
COPPER COMPOUNDS
DATA
DISPERSIONS
FLUIDS
FUELS
GASES
GASIFICATION
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INFORMATION
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS
TESTING
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
ZINC COMPOUNDS
090221* - Alcohol Fuels- Chemical Synthesis- (1976-1989)
010404 - Coal
Lignite
& Peat- Gasification