INTEGRATED DIRECT COAL LIQUEFACTION PROCESS AND SYSTEM

An integrated direct coal liquefaction and upgrading process and system in which feed coal is mixed with a coal liquefaction nominal 650° F.+ (343° C.+) fraction from atmospheric fractionator, vacuum fractionator bottoms, and recycled catalyst containing vacuum gas oil (VGO) from and upgrader and pumped to the input of the liquefaction reactor where it is mixed with preheated hydrogen. Part of the VGO fraction from the liquefaction vacuum fractionator is mixed with make-up catalyst and catalyst containing VGO fraction from the upgrader atmospheric fractionator and fed with preheated hydrogen to the input of the upgrading reactors. The output of the upgrading reactors is cooled in hot and cold separators to recover hydrogen containing gaseous components and the liquid fraction is separated in the upgrader atmospheric fractionator into product and a catalyst containing unconverted VGO stream, a portion of which forms the recycled VGO to the liquefaction slurry mix tank. A portion of the catalyst containing vacuum fractionator bottoms are sent as fuel to a cement plant in which the catalyst is gasified and recovered.