Chemical process and apparatus for recovery of ethylene oxide

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR THE PURIFICATION OF AN ETHYLENE OXIDE CONTAINING SOLUTION WHICH COMPRISES: INTRODUCING SAID AQUEOUS SOLUTION CONTAINING ETHYLENE OXIDE, CARBON DIOXIDE AND GASEOUS INERTS INTO A STRIPPING ZONE MAINTAINED AT A PRESSURE ABOVE ATOMOSPHERIC AND AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 90 TO 150*C.; REMOVING A GASEOUS STREAM CONTAINING ETHYLENE OXIDE, CARBON DIOXIDE AND INERTS FROM SAID ZONE; COOLING SAID GASEOUS STREAM IN A CONDENSING ZONE; PASSING TEH EFFLUENT FROM SAID CONDENSING ZONE TO A SCRUBBING ZONE MAINTAINED AT A PRESSURE LESS THAN SAID STRIPPING ZONE; CONTACTING SAID EFFLUENT COUNTERCURRENTLY WITH AN AQUEOUS LIQUID HEREINAFTER DESCRIBED IN SAID SCRUBBING ZONE; PASSING A LIQUID EFFLUENT CONTAINING ETHYLENE OXIDE FROM SAID SCRUBBING ZONE TO A RECTIFICATION ZONE; WITHDRAWING A HIGH PURITY ETHYLENE OXIDE DISTILLATE AND AN AQUEOUS LIQUID FROM SAID RECTIFICATION ZONE, AND RECYCLING AT LEAST A PORTION OF SAID AQUEOUS LIQUID TO SAID SCRUBBING ZONE.

Claim 3

AN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ETHYLENE OXIDE FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING ETHYLENE OXIDE, GASEOUS INERTS, CARBON DIOXIDE, ETHYLENE AND OXYGEN WHICH COMPRISES: A FIRST SCRUBBING MEANS, A STRIPPING MEANS, A CONDENSING MEANS, A SECOND SCRUBBING MEANS AND A RECTIFYING MEANS, WHEREIN MEANS ARE PROVIDED: TO PASS MATERIAL FROM EACH OF SAID ZONES TO THE NEXT FOLLOWING ZONE, TO PASS LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID STRIPPING MEANS TO THE TOP OF SAID FIRST SCRUBBING MEANS,AND TO PASS LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECTIFYING MEANS TO THE TOP OF SAID SCRUBBING MEANS; SAID RECTIFYING MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING GASEOUS ETHYLENE OXIDE THEREFROM; AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINIG THE PRESSURE IN SAID SECOND SCRUBBING MEANS LESS THAN THE PRESSURE IN SAID STRIPPING MEANS.

Claim 4

AN APPARATUS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF ETHYLENE OXIDE FROM A GASEOUS MIXTURE CONTAINING ETHYLENE OXIDE, GASEOUS INERTS, CARBON DIOXIDE, ETHYLENE AND OXYGEN WHICH COMPRISES: A FIRST SCRUBBING MEANS, A STRIPPING MEANS, A CONDENSING MEANS, A SECOND SCRUBBING MEANS AND A RECTIFYING MEANS, WHEREIN MEANS ARE PROVIDED: TO PASS MATERIAL FROM EACH OF SAID ZONES TO THE NEXT FOLLOWING ZONE, TO PASS LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID STRIPPING MEANS TO THE TOP OF SAID FIRST SCRUBBING MEANS,AND TO PASS LIQUID FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID RECTIFYING MEANS TO THE TOP OF SAID SCRUBBING MEANS; SAID RECTIFYING MEANS BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING GASEOUS ETHYLENE OXIDE THEREFROM; AND MEANS FOR MAINTAINIG THE PRESSURE IN SAID SECOND SCRUBBING MEANS LESS THAN THE PRESSURE IN SAID STRIPPING MEANS.