Catalytic coal conversion support: use of laser flash-pyrolysis for structural analysis. Progress report, January 1-March 31, 1980

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5906420

Rofer-DePoorter, C K ^[1]

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1. comp.

Catalysts are under study for the gasification of coal because high temperatures are required for useful rates in uncatalyzed gasification, but the thermodynamics of the reaction favors CO and H/sub 2/ rather than the more useful methane. Metal salt and oxide catalysts have been investigated to allow gasification to proceed at reasonable rates at lower temperatures. An understanding of gasification catalysis would help in understanding the role of the mineral constituents of coal in gasification. Laser pyrolysis of coal, followed by examination of the pyrolysis products by a combination of gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy, can contribute to understanding the changes that take place in coal upon treatment with catalysts. Lasers provide a much more rapid heating rate than conventional pyrolysis sources and may therefore produce fewer secondary reactions during pyrolysis. In other words, the products of laser pyrolysis are likely to be more representative of the original structure of the material pyrolyzed and other pyrolysis products. Coals are pulverized and treated with various catalysts, either by impregnation or by physical mixing. They are then heat treated in various atmospheres at different temperatures, and the resulting char is pyrolyzed to examine changes that take place during processing. Fruitland coal treated with various catalysts was processed in different atmospheres, laser pyrolyzed by a CO/sub 2/ laser, and the pyrolysis products analyzed on the HY Model 5830 GC. The amounts of H/sub 2/, CO, CH/sub 4/, H/sub 2/O, CO/sub 2/, and C/sub 2/H/sub 2/ in the pyrolysis products have been observed to vary with varying treatment. Amounts of H/sub 2/O and CO generated decrease with increasing processing temperature. With steam processing, greater amounts of CO, CO/sub 2/, and, as might be expected, H/sub 2/O are generated in the pyrolysis.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 5906420
• Report Number(s): LA-9031-PR; ON: DE82004179
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

01 COAL, LIGNITE, AND PEAT
010404 -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Gasification
010406* -- Coal & Coal Products-- Pyrolysis & Cracking-- (-1987)
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CATALYSTS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COAL
COAL GAS
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL LIQUIDS
DECOMPOSITION
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY
GASES
GASIFICATION
HEAT TREATMENTS
LASERS
LIQUIDS
MASS SPECTROSCOPY
MATERIALS
MIXING
PYROLYSIS
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SPECTROSCOPY
THERMOCHEMICAL PROCESSES