The front-end design of a direct coal liquefaction process for the conversion of lignite into coal liquids by solvent extraction was investigated. The experimental work focused on physical coal dissolution in the temperature range 25-150 degrees C. It was found that the kinetics of physical coal dissolution was rapid and essentially complete within 2 min at 25 degrees C. There was a limiting extract yield, which increased with increasing temperature. Within the pore diameter range 0.1-10.7 mu m, the volume of only pores with diameters <5 mu m increased measurably on solvent extraction, while the shape of the pore size distribution remained the same. Additional pore volume created during extraction exceeded that of the liquid extract. Extraction took place from the bulk of the coal. Packed bed extraction was more efficient than batch extraction at otherwise similar conditions; an explanation was proposed. Even at the least severe conditions, 25 degrees C for 2 min, mass transport was not limiting and the solvent-to-coal ratio did not meaningfully affect the extract yield. These observations were employed to propose potential improvements to the front-end design for direct coal liquefaction.