Recovery of alcohols from direct hydration of olefins

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF AN ETHERFREE SATURATED MONOHYDRIC ALCOHOL BY THE DIRECT HYDRATION OF AN OLEFIN WHICH COMPRISES REACTING THE OLEFIN WITH WATER VAPOR IN A REACTION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF 150* C. TO 375*C. AND AT A PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 500 P. S. I. G. TO 3000 P. S. I. G IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ACID CATALYST, REMOVING FROM THE REACTION ZONE A GASEOUS PRODUCT COMPRISING ALCOHOL, ETHER AND UNREACTED OLEFINS, PASSING THE GASEOUS PRODUCT WITHOUT REDUCTION IN TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE TO AN INTERMEDIATE POINT OF AN EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION ZONE, INTRODUCING SUFFICIENT WATER TO THE EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION ZONE AT A POINT SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE THE GASEOUS PRODUCT FEED POINT TO MAINTAIN AN INTERNAL LIQUID REFLUX HAVING A WATER CONTENT OF 65-99.9 MOL PER CENT BELOW THE POINT OF ADDITION OF THE WATER, DISTILLING FROM THE GASEOUS PRODUCT UNDER SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE CONDITIONS OF THE HYDRATION REACTION A VAPOROUS MIXTURE COMPRISING ETHER, ALCOHOL AND UNREACTED OLEFINS WHICH FLOWS COUNTERCURRENT TO THE DESCENDING AQUEOUS REFLUX, AND WITHDRAWING AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF ALCOHOL SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF ETHER FROM A LOWER PORTION OF THE EXTRACTIVE DISTILLATION ZONE.