Production of ethylene oxide

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING ETHYLENE OXIDE WHICH COMPRIES CONTINUOUSLY PASSING A GAS MIXTURE CONTAINING ETHYLENE AND OXYGEN IN CONTACT WITH A SILVER SUPPORTED CATALYST HAVING A UNIFORM ACTIVITY DISPOSED IN A MULTITUBE PRESSURE REACTOR AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE BETWEEN ABOUT 225*C. AND 300*C. AND UNDER HIGH SUPERATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE WITHIN THE RANGE OF 100-250 P. S. I. G. TO PRODUCE ETHYLENE OXIDE, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES PREPARING SAID SILVER SUPPORTED CATALYST BY TREATING A WATER-SOLUBLE SILVER SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SILVER NITRATE AND SILVER ACETATE WITH A HYDROXIDE SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM HYDROXIDE, POTASSIUM HYDROXIDE, BARIUM HYDROXIDE, TETRAMETHYL AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE AND AMMONIUM HYDROXIDE TO PRECIPITATE SILVER OXIDE, COATING A SOLID CARRIER SUPPORT OF A SIZE OF ABOUT 1/3" TO 1/2" WITH A SLURRY OF SAID SILVER OXIDE AND EFFECTING THE COATING OF THE SUPPORT AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 90*C. AND BELOW 100*C. DRYING THE SILVER OXIDE COATED SUPPORT, AND ACTIVATING THE SILVER OXIDE COATED SUPPORT CATALYST BY DISPOSING THE SILVER OXIDE COATED SUPPORT CATALYST IN THE TUBES OF THE MULTITUBE PRESSURE REACTOR AND HEATING THE CATALYST IN THE TUBES WITH A LIQUID BATH SURROUNDING THE TUBES AS THE HEATING MEDIUM AT A UNIFORM TEMPERATURE, I.E. A TEMPERATURE WHICH DOES NOT VARY MORE THAN $5*C., DURING THE ACTIVATION SAID TEMPERATURE BEING WITHIN THE RANGE OF 250-340*C.