COAL HYDROGENATION PROCESS USING THERMAL COUNTERCURRENT FLOW REACTION ZONE

Hydrogenation of coal to produce hydrocarbon liquid and gas products is performed in a thermal reaction zone 20, in which a coal/ oil slurry 19 flows generally downwardly countercurrent to upflowing hydrogen 15; an effluent stream 21 containing light hydrocarbon liquid and gas is withdrawn from the thermal reaction zone upper end, and a heavy liquid stream 28 containing unconverted coal and ash is withdrawn from the reaction zone bottom end. A portion 26 of the light liquid effluent is preferably recycled to the reaction zone lower end for upflow therein to help increase coal residence time and for further hydrogenation reaction. As shown in Fig. 2 the heavy liquid bottoms stream from the thermal reaction zone and containing unconverted coal and ash and a liquid portion of the upper effluent can be passed with additional hydrogen to a second catalytic reaction step for further hydrogenation reaction to increase the yield of lower-boiling hydrocarbon liquid products.