Recovery of aldehydes

Claim 1

THE PROCESS FOR RECOVERY OF ALIPHATIC ALDEPHDES HAVING A HIGH STATE OF PURITY FROM CRUDE ALDEHYDIC REACTION PRODUCTS OBTAINED BY THE INTERSECTION IN A REACTION ZONE OF CARBON MONOXIDE, HYDROGEN AND AN OLEFIN HYDROCARBON HAVING 3 TO 10 CARBON ATOMS PER MOLECULE AT AN ELEVATED TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE IN THE PRESENCE OF A COBALT CATALYST, SAID CRUDE ALDEHYDIC REACTION PRODUCTS COMPRISING UNREACTED GASES, DISSOLVED COBALT CARBONYL AND UNCONVERTED OLEFIN HYDROCARBON IMPURITIES, WHICH COMPRISES THE STEPS OF WITHDRAWING THE CRUDE ALDEHYDIC PRODUCTS FROM THE REACTION ZONE, COOLING SAID WITHDRAWN PRODUCTS AND PASSING THE CRUDE, PRODUCTS INTO A HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE, SEPARATING A GASEOUS PHASE FROM A LIQUID PHASE IN THE HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE, PASSING THE SEPARATED LIQUID PHASE FROM THE HIGH PRESSURE SEPARATION ZONE UNDER A REDUCED PRESSURE THROUGH A PREHEATING ZONE WITH AN ADMIXED STREAM OF HYDROGEN FREE OF CARBON MONOXIDE INTO A SOAKING ZONE, MAINTAINING A TEMPERATURE AT AN AVERAGE OF 328* TO 340*F. AND A PRESSURE OF ABOUT 400 P.S.I.G. IN THE SOAKING ZONE WHEREIN THE COBALT CARBONYL IS DECOMPOSED, WITHDRAWING LIQUID AND GAS FROM THE SOAKING ZONE THROUGH A COOLING ZONE INTO A GAS-LIQUID SEPARATION ZONE, REMOVING GAS FROM SAID SECOND SEPARATION ZONE, COLLECTING THE LIQUID FROM THE SECOND SEPARATTION ZONE AT REDUCED PRESSURE IN A CHILLED ACCUMULATION ZONE, THEREAFTER SUBJECTING THE LIQUID THUS COLLECTED IN THE ACCUMMULATION ZONE TO DISTILLATION UNDER VACCUN TO REMOVE UNCONVERTED HYDROCARBON FROM THE ALDEHYDE LIQUID, THEN TO FURTHER DISTILLATION UNDER VACUUM TO OBTAIN A DESIRED ALIPHATIC ALDEHYDE DISTILLATE FRACTION.