Process and apparatus for acetylene production

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING ACETYLENE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A PREHEATED REACTANT GAS MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON AND AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS BY NON-CATALYTIC PARTIAL OXIDATION AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION ZONE TO FORM A CONVERSION EFFLUENT CONTAINING ACETYLENE AND UNREACTED HYDROCARBON, INJECTING THEREINTO AN ACETYLENE STABILIZING GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON DIOXIDE, ETHANE, PROPANE DAND BUTANE, THEN CONTACTING THE EFFLUENT SUBSEQUENTLY WITH A MOVING BED OF SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT TO SEPARATE SAID ACETYLENE AND SAID UNREACTED HYDROCARBON FROM LESS READILY ADSORBABLE CONVERSION PRODUCTS AND HYDROGEN AS AN UNADSORBED GAS, SEPARATING STREAMS OF UNREACTED HYDROCARBON AND A GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN FROM SAID ADSORBENT, RECIRCULATING SAID UNREACTED HYDROCARBON AND A GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN OF SAID OXYGEN-CONTAININ GAS, RECIRCULATING AT LEAST PART OF SAID GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN TO INITIATE THE REACTION BY INJECTION INTO SAID PREHEATED MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN SAID REACTION ZONE AND PURIFYING SAID ACETYLENE PRODUCED.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR PRODUCING ACETYLENE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING A PREHEATED REACTANT GAS MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON AND AN OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS BY NON-CATALYTIC PARTIAL OXIDATION AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE IN A REACTION ZONE TO FORM A CONVERSION EFFLUENT CONTAINING ACETYLENE AND UNREACTED HYDROCARBON, INJECTING THEREINTO AN ACETYLENE STABILIZING GAS SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF CARBON DIOXIDE, ETHANE, PROPANE DAND BUTANE, THEN CONTACTING THE EFFLUENT SUBSEQUENTLY WITH A MOVING BED OF SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT TO SEPARATE SAID ACETYLENE AND SAID UNREACTED HYDROCARBON FROM LESS READILY ADSORBABLE CONVERSION PRODUCTS AND HYDROGEN AS AN UNADSORBED GAS, SEPARATING STREAMS OF UNREACTED HYDROCARBON AND A GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN FROM SAID ADSORBENT, RECIRCULATING SAID UNREACTED HYDROCARBON AND A GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN OF SAID OXYGEN-CONTAININ GAS, RECIRCULATING AT LEAST PART OF SAID GAS ENRICHED IN HYDROGEN TO INITIATE THE REACTION BY INJECTION INTO SAID PREHEATED MIXTURE OF HYDROCARBON AND OXYGEN-CONTAINING GAS IN SAID REACTION ZONE AND PURIFYING SAID ACETYLENE PRODUCED.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS SEPARATION OF HYDROGEN FROM NITROGEN AND/OR CARBON MONOXIDE AND OF ACETYLENE FROM GASEOUS MIXTURES CONTAINING THE SAME WHICH COMPRISES A VERTICAL SELECTIVE ADSORPTION COLUMN PROVIDED AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS WITH AN ADSORPTION SECTION, AT LEAST ONE RECTIFICATION SECTION AND A DESORPTION SECTION, CONDUIT MEANS FOR ACETYLENE- AND HYDROGEN-BEARING GASES OPENING INTO SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING GRANULAR ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT IN THE FORM OF A COMPACT BED MOVING DOWNWARDLY BY GRAVITY SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID SECTIONS, OUTLET MEANS FOR UNADSORBED HYDROGEN-CONTAINING PORTION OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE FROM SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, CONDUIT MEANS FOR A FRACTION OF INTERMEDIATE ADSORBABILITY OPENING FROM A RECTIFICATION SECTION, OUTLET CONDUIT MEANS FOR DESORBED GASES CONTAINING ACETYLENE AND AN INERT ACETYLENE STABILIZING DILUENT FLUID COMMUNICATING SAID DESORPTION SECTION WITH A SEPARTING MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID STABILIZING FLUID FROM SAID ACETYLENE, CONDUIT MEANS FOR SAID STABILIZING FLUID COMMUNICATING SAID SEPARATING MEANS WITH SAID INLET CONDUIT OPENING INTO SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, AND OUTLET CONDIUT MEANS FOR ACETYLENE-BEARING GASES FREE OF SAID STABILIZING FLUID FROM SAID SEPARATING MEANS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS SEPARATION OF HYDROGEN FROM NITROGEN AND/OR CARBON MONOXIDE AND OF ACETYLENE FROM GASEOUS MIXTURES CONTAINING THE SAME WHICH COMPRISES A VERTICAL SELECTIVE ADSORPTION COLUMN PROVIDED AT SUCCESSIVELY LOWER LEVELS WITH AN ADSORPTION SECTION, AT LEAST ONE RECTIFICATION SECTION AND A DESORPTION SECTION, CONDUIT MEANS FOR ACETYLENE- AND HYDROGEN-BEARING GASES OPENING INTO SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, MEANS FOR RECIRCULATING GRANULAR ADSORBENT FROM THE BOTTOM TO THE TOP OF SAID COLUMN, MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE SOLID GRANULAR ADSORBENT IN THE FORM OF A COMPACT BED MOVING DOWNWARDLY BY GRAVITY SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH SAID SECTIONS, OUTLET MEANS FOR UNADSORBED HYDROGEN-CONTAINING PORTION OF SAID GASEOUS MIXTURE FROM SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, CONDUIT MEANS FOR A FRACTION OF INTERMEDIATE ADSORBABILITY OPENING FROM A RECTIFICATION SECTION, OUTLET CONDUIT MEANS FOR DESORBED GASES CONTAINING ACETYLENE AND AN INERT ACETYLENE STABILIZING DILUENT FLUID COMMUNICATING SAID DESORPTION SECTION WITH A SEPARTING MEANS FOR SEPARATING SAID STABILIZING FLUID FROM SAID ACETYLENE, CONDUIT MEANS FOR SAID STABILIZING FLUID COMMUNICATING SAID SEPARATING MEANS WITH SAID INLET CONDUIT OPENING INTO SAID ADSORPTION SECTION, AND OUTLET CONDIUT MEANS FOR ACETYLENE-BEARING GASES FREE OF SAID STABILIZING FLUID FROM SAID SEPARATING MEANS.