Process for the production of fatty alcohols by catalytic hydrogenation of fatty acids and their derivatives

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONTINUOUS HYDROGENTATION OF FATTY ACID CONTAINING MATERIAL SELECTED FROM TEH GROUP CONSISTING OF FATTY ACIDS, FATTY ACID ESTERS AND MIXTURES OF SUCH FATTY ACIDS AND ESTERS TO PRODUCE THE CORRESPONDING FATTY ALCOHOL BY MAKING SUCH FATTY ACID CONTAINING MATERIAL WITH THE CORRESPONDING FATTY ALCOHOL WHICH IS TO BE PRODUCED CONTAINING A COPPER CHROMIUM OXIDE CATALYST SUSPENDED THEREIN AND TREATING SUCH MIXTURE OF FATTY ACID CONTAINING MATERIAL AND FATTY ALCOHOL WITH AN EXCESS OF HYDROGEN AT TEMPERATURES BETWEEN ABOUT 200 AND 350*C. AND PRESSURES OF ABOUT 200 TO 700 ATMOSPHERES, SEPARATING OFF THE EXCESS HYDROGEN, THE FATTY ALCOHOL AND WATER PRODUCED IN THE HYDROGENATION AND A PORTION OF THE CATALYST AND RECYCLING SUCH EXCESS HYDROGEN AND THE REMAINING FATTY ALCOHOL AND CATALYST SUSPENDED THEREIN, THE STEPS OF RECIRCULATING THE FATTY ALCOHOL CONTAINING THE CATALYST SUSPENDED THEREIN SEQUENTIALLY THROUGH AT LEAST TWO ELONGATED UPRIGHT SPACES IN A REACTOR HAVING THEIR TOP AND BOTTOM ENDS COMMUNICATING, SUPPLYING HYDROGEN TO THE LOWER END OF ONE OF SUCH SPACES TO EFFECT SUCH RECIRCULATION, INTRODUCING THE FATTY ACID CONTAINING MATERIAL TO BE HYDROGENATED THROUGH A SEPARATE INLET INTO ANOTHER OF SUCH TION WHERE THE HYDROGEN IS SUPPLIED BUT DOWNSTREAM FROM WHERE THE FATTY ACID MATERIAL IS INTRODUCED AND WITHDRAWING THE FATTY ALCOHOL AND WATER PRODUCED, EXCESS HYDROGEN AND CATALYST FROM THE CYCLE AT THE UPPER END OF THE REACTOR, THE QUANTITY OF THE FATTY ALCOHOL CIRCULATED IN THE REACTOR PER UNIT OF TIME BEING 10 TO 1000 TIMES THAT OF THE FATTY ACID CONTAINING MATERIAL INTRODUCED PER UNIT OF TIME.