Is indirect coal liquefaction for oil production the mainstream technology in the future?
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Is indirect coal liquefaction for oil production the mainstream technology in the future? What is the proportion of products derived from coal-to-oil processing? Does indirect liquefaction technology only produce diesel? According to the information available, when the Yankuang Future Energy Project is operating at full capacity, it will use 5 million tons of coal per year, producing 1.15 million tons of petroleum products and chemical products annually. Among them, there are 790,000 tons of diesel, 250,000 tons of naphtha, 100,000 tons of liquefied petroleum gas, etc.” This project includes only diesel – why is there no gasoline component?
Naphtha must undergo catalytic reforming to produce gasoline.
There are many products obtained through indirect liquefaction technology, such as paraffin, lubricant base oils, and sulfur-free solvent oils. In China, in addition to Yankuang, companies like Shenhua and Yitai are also involved in this area. The world’s leading companies in this field are Sasol and Shell from South Africa.
Currently, only Shenhua is operating coal-to-oil direct liquefaction plants; all others use indirect liquefaction. In China, the majority of plants that are already in operation or about to come online also employ indirect liquefaction, as direct liquefaction requires very specific coal types and equipment.
Thank you. What are the requirements for coal in indirect liquefaction and direct liquefaction respectively? Are there any requirements regarding calorific value, sulfur content, nitrogen content, etc.?
For indirect liquefaction, it is sufficient that the coal can be gasified; this relates to the requirements of various gasification furnaces regarding the type of coal. Direct liquefaction generally requires low-rank coals with high activity, such as long-flame coal and lignite; there are many criteria for this requirement, but no specific requirements exist for S and N.
Coal used for direct liquefaction has requirements regarding volatile matter, ash content, moisture, and the amount of inert components; it is usually low-graded bituminous coal or lignite