Chlorination of ethylene in dilute mixtures

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE FROM GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING FROM 0.5 TO 5% BY VOLUME OF ETHYLENE AND A MAJOR PORTION OF INERT GASES, SAID ETHYLENE BEING THE MAJOR REACTIVE COMPONENT THEREOF, WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES CONTACTING SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE WITH CHLORINE AT AN ELEVATED PRESSURE IN THE RANGE OF 15 TO 500 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH GAUGE IN A REACTION ZONE MAINTAINED IN A GASEOUS PHASE AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 60 TO 100 C., THE AMOUNT OF CHLORINE BEING ABOUT 1.05 MOLS PER MOL OF ETHYLENE AND BEING INTRODUCED AT SPACED INTERVALS ALONG THE REACTION ZONE WITH THE FIRST INTRODUCTION CONTAINING THE MAJOR PORTION THEREOF, MAINTAINING THE CONCENTRATION OF ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE IN THE REACTION ZONE BELOW THE SATURATION POINT BY CONDENSATION AND WITHDRAWAL THEREOF AT INTERVALS ALONG THE REACTION ZONE, SAID CONDENSATION BEING EFFECTED BY INTRODUCING COOLED ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE INTO THE REACTION ZONE AT APPROPRIATE INTERVALS THEREALONG, WHEREBY A HIGH YIELD OF ETHYLENE DICHLORIDE END PRODUCT IS OBTAINED, AND RECOVERING SAID END PRODUCT.