263.    BLAND, W. F.  Gasification of Coal May Foreshadow New Industry Replacing Oil Refineries.  Nat. Petrol. News, vol. 39, No. 14, 1947, pp. 23-24.

                 An announcement of the joint plans of Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey and the Pittsburgh Consolidation Coal Co., for gasifying coal and converting it to liquid fuels, high-B.t.u. gas, and chemicals.  The plans have only reached the design stage of a $300,000 demonstration-size pilot plant to continue the studies and bring the process to a commercial basis.  It is expected that the pilot plant will be ready for operation by the end of 1947 and the commercial plant by 1950 or 1951.  The pilot plant, as planned, will be devoted primarily to studies of the application of the fluidized-solids technique to coal gasification. About 50 tons of coal/day will be consumed, producing about 2.4 million cu. ft. of gas. Powdered coal in suspension is reacted with O₂ and steam in the generator, and the gas produced is suitable for the synthesis of hydrocarbons by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction.  The flexibility of the operation may be used to obtain the maximum yield of domestic fuel gas or for the greatest possible yield of gasoline and other liquid fuels.