1996. KRUG, J. A. Report of the Secretary of the Interior on the Synthetic Liquid Fuels Act. 1946, 1947, 82 pp.

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Literature Abstracts

Report covers the work of the Bureau of Mines for 1946. It is divided into 2 parts: the 1^st summarizing the major progress and developments of the year, and the 2d giving a detailed account of the engineering and scientific achievements. As the result of the research in the field of synthetic fuels, it is concluded that gasoline may be produced from coal or oil shale at a cost of $0.075-$0.095 per gal., and from natural gas at $0.055-$0.07 per gal., exclusive of any profit or interest on the investment. Construction is far advanced at 2 of the major Bureau projects for the small-scale investigation of coal hydrogenation by the Bergius process and the production of synthetic gasoline by the Fischer-Tropsch reaction. Furthermore the oil-shale demonstration plant in Colorado is expected to start operation soon. In this project fundamental data on the design of oil-shale and pilot-plant units have been worked out. A thermal-solution process is being developed for shale oil recovery, which shows more oil obtained than the shale assay has indicated. Two shale mines will supply the demonstration plant with shale and will determine commercial mining costs; these are expected to be about $0.50 per ton of shale. Underground gasification of coal is undergoing experimental tests in Alabama to determine the possibilities for the production of synthesis gas. A coal liquefaction plant is being prepared at Louisiana, Mo., from a Government-owned NH₃ plant to produce up to 200 bbl. of oil per day. Laboratory studies are being made at Morgantown, W. Va. to develop cheaper and better methods for producing CO and H₂ for synthesis gas and for coal hydrogenation. Lower pressures, lighter equipment, minimum H₂ consumption, and the use of dry coal without a vehicle or with one readily flashed off are indicated in the coal-hydrogenation process as contributing greatly to the reduction of production costs, while in the synthesis process production rates 3-5 times those of German plants have been indicated through use of a new type of internally cooled converter embodying an improved cooling method consisting in dripping a cooling oil directly over the catalyst preferably in cocurrent flow at high space-velocities of the synthesis gas. Besides the increased production reported, there are the further advantages of a lower content of gaseous hydrocarbons in the product, the possibility of greatly enlarged reaction chambers, and the use of a wider range of catalysts in comparison with fluidized types. Still other methods of cooling are under investigation such as liquid-phase suspended catalyst and hot-gas recycle.