Separation of methanol and methyl acetate

Claim 1

IN SEPARATING THE COMPONENTS OF A SOLUTION CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF METHYL ACETATE AND METHANOL, THE PROCESS WHICH COMPRISES FRACTIONATING THE SAID SOLUTION UNTIL THE CONTENT OF THE ACETATE IN THE RESULTING FRACTIONATED MIXTURE RISES TO AT LEAST ABOUT 70 PARTS BY WEIGHT FOR 30 PARTS OF THE METHANOL, INTRODUCING WATER CONTINUOUSLY INTO THE THUS FRACTIONATED MIXTURE AND CAUSING THE WATER TO FLOW DOWNWARDLY AND COUNTERCURRENTLY IN INTIMATE CONTACT WITH THE SAID SOLUTION BELOW THE POSITION OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE WATER, CONTINUING THE FRACTIONATION DURING THE INTRODUCTION OF THE WATER AND AT A LEVEL ABOVE THAT OF THE INTRODUCTION OF THE WATER SO AS TO FORM A BINARY AZEOTROPE AND UNTIL THE FRACTIONATED MATERIAL CONTAINS METHYL ACETATE AND WATER IN SUBSTANTIALLY AZEOTROPIC PROPORTIONS FOR THE SAID BINARY AZEOTROPE, WITHDRAWING THE SAID FRACTIONATED MATERIAL AS THE OVERHEAD VAPOR, TO A CONDENSER THEREOF, DISCONTINUING THE INTRODUCTION OF WATER WHEN METHANOL BEGINS TO APPEAR IN SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION IN THE OVERHEAD VAPOR, THEN FRACTIONATING, CONDENSING AND COLLECTING SEPARATELY A FRACTION COMPRISING METHANOL AND RESIDUAL METHYL ACETATE UNTIL SUBSTANTIALLY NO MORE METHYL ACETATE APPEARS IN THE RESULTING CONDENSATE, AND THEN FRACTIONATING AND COLLECTING AS ANOTHER FRACTION THE REMAINING METHANOL IN THE STILL, THE PROPORTION OF TOTAL WATER INTRODUCED BEING APPROXIMATELY WITHIN THE RANGE 100-600 PARTS BY WEIGHT FOR 100 PARTS OF METHANOL IN THE SAID FRACTIONATED MIXTURE AT THE POSITION OF INTRODUCING OF THE WATER.