A PULSE-FLOW MICROREACTOR STUDY OF COAL CATALYST INTERACTIONS

The reactions of hydrogen with mixtures of coal and a solid, dispersed liquefaction catalyst have been investigated using a pulse-flow microreactor. The reactor was principally designed to study hydrogen/deuterium exchange reactions. Pulses of deuterium were carried through a heated bed of coal and catalyst and the exit stream was monitored with a mass spectrometer. Exchange reactions were observed after physical mixtures of coal and MoS3 were heated above the temperature required to convert the catalyst precursor to MoS2. After the precursor had been activated, exchange reactions were observed at much lower temperatures, even at 225-degrees-C. The only source of hydrogen was the coal. The results demonstrate that in these simple physical mixtures of coal and catalyst, a large pool of hydrogen on coal is available for transport to the catalyst surface where it may exchange with adsorbed deuterium gas.