Coal liquefaction mechanism using a tritium tracer method

To determine the behavior of hydrogen in tetralin, the reaction of tetralin with tritiated gaseous hydrogen was studied in a flow reactor at 400–450°C, 2.5–9.8 MPa for various residence times. The amount of hydrogen exchange between tetralin and tritiated hydrogen was estimated from the balance of hydrogen and tritium. Although yields of methylindan and naphthalene, and the hydrogen-exchange ratio (HER) of tetralin increased monotonously with residence time, these values were scarcely influenced by the reaction pressure at every temperature. It was thought that the formation of tetralyl radicals in this system would be the rate-determining step for both the conversions of tetralin into methylindan and naphthalene, and the hydrogen exchange of tetralin. Conversions of tetralin into methylindan and naphthalene, and the hydrogen-exchange reaction using the autoclave were very close to those using the flow reactor.