The effect of coal characteristics on the catalytic liquefaction of Utah coals

The quality of Utah coals for feedstocks for liquefaction plants was investigated. Twenty-four samples were obtained from commercially producing mines to study the feasibility of the reactor system. The University of Utah's “coiled tube reactor” was used to determine the reactivity of the various coals. Zinc chloride was impregnated onto the coal from a water slurry. The reactor was operated at 493°C and 12.4 MPa. Coal properties such as proximate analysis, ultimate analysis, calorific value, rank, petrographic analysis and Free Swelling Index were correlated with reactivity. Catalyst percentage and temperature were studied to find optimum reactivity for specific coals. The various properties were examined on the basis of linear and multiple linear regression analyses with reactivity measured as conversion to liquid and gaseous products.