Appearance of Rapid Carbon on Hydrogasification of Coal

Abstract

The interesting behavior of so-called rapid carbon was examined in the hydrogasification of Taiheiyo coal at 5.0 MPa and 1173 K using rapid heating apparatus. The amount of rapid carbon was as much as about 40% of raw coal at an appropriate flow rate of hydrogen. However, when there was no flow, the rapid carbon appeared a little. This could be due to the chemical equilibrium between hydrogen -methane - carbon reactions or to the hindrance of hydrogen access by the cloud of volatile matter surrounding coal.
When the char, which had been obtained after reaction in no hydrogen flow, was reacted again in a stream of hydrogen, the rapid carbon recovered. The char prepared at rapid heating in nitrogen also produced it in the reaction in hydrogen.