Method for treating vapors formed during distillation

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE WHEREIN BENZENE IS ALKYLATED WITH LPROPENE, THE RESULTING LIQUID ALKYLATE MIXTURE CONTAINING CUMENE IS SUBJECTED TO DEPROPANIZATION FOLLOWED BY DISTILLATION IN A CUMENE DISTILLATION ZONE FOR THE REMOVAL OF BENZENE, THE DISTILLED LIQUID ALKYLATE COMPRISING CUMENE IS OXIDIZED IN AN ALKALINE MEDIUM TO PRODUCE CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE IN ADMIXTURE WITH UNREACTED CUMENE AND CUMENE IS SEPARATED FROM CUMENE HYDROPEROXIDE BY DISTILLATION IN A HYDROPEROXIDE DISTILLATION ZONE AT A TEMPERATURE OF AT LEAST 178*F., THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES: PASSING THE DEPROPANIZED ALKYLATE TO TEH CUMENE DISTILLATION ZONE WHEREIN BENZENE IS VAPORIZED AND SEPARATED FROM LIQUID CUMENE, CONDENSING THE VAPOR IN A COOLING ZONE, WITHDRAWING THE CONDENSATE FROM SAID COOLING ZONE AND LLPASSING SAID CONDENSATE TO A CONFINED HOLDING ZONE, INBTRODUCING AN INERT GAS INTO SAID HOLDING ZONE IN SUFFICIENT AMOUNT TO RAISE THE CONDENSATION TEMPERATURE OF THE CONDENSATE TO AT LEAST 178*F. AND TO A TEMPERATURE AT LEAST AS HIGH AS TEH DISTIL-