Oxidation chemical process

Claim 1

THE PREPARATION OF A BENZENE POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID BY REACTING IN AN OXIDATION REACTOR, WHILE MAINTAINING A LIQUID PHASE THEREIN, A POLYALKYL BENZENE WITH MOLECULAR OXYGEN IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST CONSISTING OF THE CONJOINT PRESENCE BROMINE AND A HEAVY METAL OXIDATION CATALYST AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A REACTION MEDIUM SOLVENT COMPRISING A MONOCARBOXYLIC ACID CONTAINING 2 TO 8 CARBON ATOMS SELECTED FROM THE CLASS CONSISTING OF BENZOIC ACID AND LOWER ALKANOIC ACIDS AT A TEMPERATURE ABOVE 140* F. AND AT A PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN SAID LIQUID PHASE IN THE OXIDATION REACTOR WHEREIN MOLECULAR OXYGEN IS INTRODUCED INTO SAID LIQUID PHASE AND HEAT OF REACTION IS REMOVED BY PASSING INTO A COOLING zONE GASES AND VAPORS GENERATED FROM SAID LIQUID PHASE; THE IMPROVED COMBINATION THEREWITH OF: PROVIDING IN SAID OXIDATION REACTOR A LIQUID MIXTURE CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF SAID POLYALKYL BENZENE, SAID CATALYST AND SAID REACTION MEDIUM SOLVENT AT THE MINIMUM TEMPERATURE AT WHICH AT LEAST AN ESSENTIAL PORTION OF THE OXIDA!ION REACTION IS SELF-SUSTAINING AT THE INITIAL TEMPERATURE AND AT AN INITIAL PRESSURE TO MAINTAIN A LIQUID PHASE OF SAID MIXTURE; INTRODUCING MOLECULAR OXYGEN INTO SAID LIQUID PHASE TO INITIATE THE OXIDATION OF POLYALKYL BENZENE TO SAID SELF-SUSTAINING OXIDATION STATE AT A RATE TO MAINTAIN AS A MAXIMUM OF FROM 2 TO 4% OXYGEN BY VOLUME IN THE MIXTURE OF GASES AND VAPORS GENERATED FROM SAID LIQUID PHASE; PERMITTING THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LIQUID PHASE IN SAID OXIDATION REACTOR TO INCREASE THROUGH RETENTION OF HEAT OF REACTION FROM SAID INITIAL TEMPERATURE TO THE TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION IN THE RANGE OF FROM ABOVE 300*F. TO 500*F. AND AT THE AUTOGENETIC PRESSURRE AT SAID HIGHER TEMPERATURE WHILE INCREASING THE RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN TO PROVIDE AS A MAXIMUM OF FROM 2 TO 4% OXYGEN BY VOLUME IN THE MIXTURE OF GASES AND VAPORS GENERATED FROM SAID LIQUID PHASE; THEREAFTER REMOVING HEAT OF REACTION BY CONTACTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE MIXTURE OF GASES AND VAPORS GENERATED FROM THE LIQUID PHASE WITH COOLING ZONE, CONDENSING THEREIN AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE VAPORS FROM SAID MIXTURE AND RETURNING THE CONDENSATE TO LIQUID PHASE IN THE OXIDATION REACTOR WHILE WITHDRAWING THE UNCONDENSED PORTION OF THE MIXTURE OF GASES AND VAPORS FROM SAID COOLING ZONE TO MAINTAIN SAID GENERATED PRESSURE; MAINTAINING THE INTRODUCTION OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN AT SAID MAXIMUM RATE UNTIL THE DROP IN TEMPERATURE OF THE LIQUID PHASE OCCURS, THEREAFTER INCREASING PRESSURE IN SAID OXIDATION REACTOR TO MAINTAIM AS THE REACTION TEMPERATURE SAID TEMPERATURE OF MAXIMUM OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OBTAINED AT SAID MAXIMUM RATE OF INTRODUCTION OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN AND DECREASING THE RATE OF MOLECULAR OXYGEBN INTRODDUCTION TO PROVIDE AS A MAXIMUM OF FROM 2 TO 4% OXYGEN BY VOLUME IN SAID WITHDRAWN GASES AND VAPORS UNTIL FURTHER REDUCTION OF INTRODUCTION OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN DOES NOT PREVENT THE OXYGEN VOLUME CONCENTRATION IN SAID WITHDRAWN GASES AND VAPORS FROM INCREASING ABOVE THE EXPLOSIVE LIMIT AND THEREAFTER STOPPING THE RATE OF MOLECULAR OXYGEN INTRODUCTION AND WITHDRAWING THE CONTENTS OF THE OXIDATION REACTOR FOR RECOVERY OF THE BENZENE POLYCARBOXYLIC ACID PRODUCED.