Production of bis

Claim 1

A CONTNUOUS PROCESS FOR PREPARING BIS(2-HYDROXYETHYL) TEREPHTHALATE WHICH COMPRISES REACTING AT ELEVATED TEMPERATURES LIQUID DIALKYL TEREPHTHALATE WHEREIN THE ALKYL RADICAL CONTAINS LESS THAN THREE CARBON ATOMS WITH LIQUID ETHYLENE GLYCOL IN THE PRESENCE OF AN ESTER INTER CHANGE CATALYST IN A REACTION ZONE WHEREIN THE LIQUID DIALKYL TEREPHTHALATE, ETHYLENE GLYCOL AND LIQUID REACTION PRODUCTS THEREOF PASS DOWNWARDLY INTO A HEATED COLLECTING ZONE WHICH IS MAINTAINED AT A TEMPERATURE SUFFICIENT TO VAPORIZE ETHYLENE GLYCOL FROM SAID LIQUID REACTION PRODUCTS AND PASSING THE ETHYLENE GLYCOL VAPORS INTO THE LOWER PART OF SAID REACTION ZONE, SAID LIQUIDS BEING IN INTIMATE CONTACT WHILE PASSING DOWNWARDLY WITH UPWARDLY MOVING ETHYLENE GLYCOL VAPORS AND ALKYL ALCOHOL VAPORS FORMED IN THE REACTION, CONTROLLING THE RATE AT WHICH ETHYLENE GLYCOL VAPORS RISE THROUGH SAID REACTION ZONE BY INTREDUCING ETHYLENE GLYCOL VAPORS FROM THE A SOURCE SEPARATE FROM SAID COLLECTING ZONE INTO THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE, MAINTAINING DURING THE ENTIRE SAID CONTINUOUS PROCESS THE MOLAR RATIO OF TREE ETHYLENE GLYCOL TO TEREPHTHALOYL RADICALS IN SAID REACTION ZONE WITHIN THE RANGE FROM 1.5/1 TO 3.0/1, CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID UPWARDLY MOVING ETHYLENE GLYCOL VAPORS AND ALKYL ALCOHOL VAPORS FROM THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID REACTION ZONE AS EXIT VAPORS, AND REMOVING LIQUID BIS(2-HYDROXYETHYL) TEREPHTHALATE CONTINUOUSLY FROM SAID COLLECTING ZONE.