Maintaining hydrogen halide concentration in the conversion of hydrocarbons employing metal halide catalysts and hydrogen halide promoter

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR THE CONVERSION OF A HYDROCARBON IN THE PRESENCE OF A METAL HALIDE CATALYST AND A HYDROGEN HALIDE PROMOTER IN A REACTION ZONE, WHEREIN HYDROCARBON EFFLUENT FROM SAID REACTION ZONE IS INTRODUCED INTO A STRIPPING ZONE FROM WHICH A GASEOUS STREAM RICH IN HYDROGEN HALIDE IS SEPARATED, NON-CONDENSIBLE GASES INCLUDING HYDROGEN HALIDE, GASES LOWER BOILING THAN HYDROGEN HALIDE AND OTHER NON-CONDENSIBLE GASES BOILING ABOUT THE SAME AS AND HIGHER THAN HYDROGEN HALIDE ARE VENTED FROM THE PROCESS SYSTEM UPSTREAM FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE, AND WHEREIN SAID GASEOUS STREAM RICH IN HYDROGEN HALIDE IS RECYCLED FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE TO SAID REACTION ZONE, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING: VENTING NON-CONDENSIBLE GASES WHICH ARE LOWER BOILING THAN HYDROGEN HALIDE, AND A REDUCED AMOUNT OF HYDROGEN HALIDE FROM THE PROCESS SYSTEM UPSTREAM FROM SAID STRIPPING ZONE; CONTACTING A PORTION OF SAID GASEOUS RECYCLE IN AN ADSORPTION ZONE WITH FIR-01 A SOLID ADSORBENT TO SELECTIVELY ADSORB HYDROGEN HALIDE THEREFROM; VENTING SAID OTHER NON-CONDENSIBLE GASES WHICH BOIL ABOUT THE SAME AS AND HIGHER THAN HYDROGEN HALIDE FROM SAID ADSORPTION ZONE AS NON-ADSORBED GASES; AND SUBSEQUENTLY DESORBING SAID ADSORBED HYDROGEN HALIDE AND RETURNING SAME TO SAID PROCESS SYSTEM.