| 主权项 |
1. A process for providing improved fuels for liquefaction, comprising:
a) providing fuel solids having a maximum diameter of approximately 3 inches or less; b) optionally excluding oxygen from the fuel solids before, during, and after comminution steps until liquefaction is complete; c) providing at least one of a hydrogenation catalyst, hydrocracking catalyst, and shift reaction catalyst; and
i) optionally providing one or more gases comprising at least one of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and or a low alkane; orii) optionally providing a substance that can serve as a source for hydrogen transfer; d) providing steam at a temperature of at least 350° F. and at a velocity of at least 1340 ft/s; e) directing the steam from a plurality of nozzles within an interior chamber defined by a housing to form a shear field and vortexes; f) entraining the fuel solids within the steam that forms the shear field and vortexes; g) circulating the fuel solids, catalyst, the optional gases if present and if present the hydrogen transfer substance in the shear field and vortexes until the fuel solids are comminuted to particles having a maximum diameter of 40 microns or less, wherein fuel surfaces in the comminuted particles are ambiphilic; h) venting spent steam from the shear field and vortexes into an oil or oil-and-water liquid medium whereby the comminuted particles are captured as a suspension in the liquid medium, wherein the suspension comprises 4 to 30 weight % water; i) optionally providing to the liquid medium a substance that can serve as a source for hydrogen transfer; j) optionally providing one or more gases comprising at least one of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and or a low alkane; and k) further reacting the comminuted particles, catalyst and if present the hydrogen transfer substance or substances and the one or more gases until the comminuted particles have been substantially liquefied. |
