Research activities on coal liquefaction in the UK
Research on the conversion of coal into liquids and gases has taken a different course in the UK from that in the USA. This is not because the long term objectives are different but that the short term availability of petroleum products and natural gas are different. In the UK, natural gas is a relative newcomer and is still increasing its share of the market while oil from the North Sea is only now becoming available. In the USA indigenous oil and gas have been available for many years and only recently have been unable to supply increasing demands. These differences in availability have led to completely different patterns of usage. In the UK for example, coal supplies the majority of the fuel for power stations but natural gas tends to be confined to the premium end of the market. The emphasis of liquefaction work in the UK has been in preparing mineral-matter-free coal extracts as the basis for the production of pure carbons. In the USA on the other hand, especially recently, liquefaction has been concerned chiefly with the production of low sulphur materials for use as fuels for power stations. Attention is now turning in the UK to the upgrading of coal extracts by such techniques as hydrogenation and on the investigation of production of coal extracts by supercritical gases. Because we recognize that in the longer term oil and gas will no longer be able to supply increasing demands in the UK, coal will be required as the source of these materials. Research on both these topics is carried out by the National Coal Board (NCB) in their Coal Research Laboratories. Work is also being carried out by the NCB on coal gasification and contact work is being carried out on gasification at the Leatherhead Laboratory, and by British Gas at their Westfield Development Centre. Results are presented, mostly in graphs.
- Research Organization:
- National Coal Board, Middlesex, England
- OSTI ID:
- 5933470
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-760458-P1
- Journal Information:
- Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Pet. Chem., Prepr.; (United States), Journal Name: Am. Chem. Soc., Div. Pet. Chem., Prepr.; (United States) Vol. 21:1; ISSN ACPCA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHROMATOGRAPHY
COAL EXTRACTS
COAL GASIFICATION
COAL LIQUEFACTION
COBALT
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REFINING
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