Publications Details

Fine-particle iron catalysts: Testing program at Sandia National Laboratories

Stohl, F.V.

The use of fine-particle size (<40 nm) unsupported catalysts in the solubilization step of direct coal liquefaction may result in improved economics for direct coal liquefaction due to the possible enhanced yields of desired products, the potential for decreasing reaction severity, and the possibility of using less supported catalyst during liquefaction processing. To guide the research and development efforts for these new unsupported catalysts, it is necessary to evaluate the catalyst performance under standard test conditions so that the impacts of catalyst formulations from different laboratories can be compared. The objectives of this work are to develop standard coal liquefaction test procedures and to perform the testing of the novel fine-particle size liquefaction catalysts being developed in the DOE/PETC AR Coal Liquefaction program. As part of this effort, we have developed a factorial experimental design to enable evaluation of the catalysts over ranges of temperature, time, and catalyst loading. The standard test procedure uses DECS-17 Blind Canyon Coal and 9,10-dihydrophenanthrene (DHP) as the hydrogen donor. Product analyses include tetrahydrofuran (THF) conversion, heptane conversion, DHP recovery, and gas analyses. THF and heptane insoluble materials are analyzed for carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and sulfur contents. Testing is performed in batch microautoclave reactors. The experimental design and test procedures are being evaluated using {minus}100 mesh pyrite as a catalyst.