Separation of chemicals using fractionation and heterogeneous catalysis

Abstract

Abstract THE DISCLOSURE RELATES TO AN INVENTED PROCESS WHICH MAY BE USED, FOR EXAMPLE, TO SEPARATE COMPONENTS OF A MIXTURE OF CLOSELY BOILING HYDROCARBONS SUCH AS A MIXTURE OF TERTIARY PENTENES, LINEAR OLEFINS, ISOPENTANE, AND NORMAL PENTANE. ACCORDING TO THE DISCLOSURE, SUCH A MIXTURE IS FED TO A FIRST DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR WHEREIN THE TERTIARY OLEFIN IS REACTED WITH AN ALCOHOL SO THAT THE LINEAR OLEFINS AND PARAFFINS MAY BE READILY FRACTIONATED OVERHEAD. A MIXED STREAM OF ETHERS IS REMOVED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE FIRST DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR AND IS FED TO SECOND DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR WHEREIN THE ETHER IS DECOMPOSED SO THAT THE TERTIARY PENTENES MAY BE READILY FRACTIONATED OVERHEAD. MOST OF THE ALCOHOL IS REMOVED FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE SECOND DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR AND RECYCLED BACK TO THE FIRST DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR. THE LINEAR PENTENES AND THE PENTANES REMOVED FROM THE UPPER PART OF THE FIRST DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR ARE FED TO A THIRD DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR WHEREIN THE LINEAR PENTENES ARE REACTED WITH AN ORGANIC ACID SO THAT THE PENTANES MAY BE READILY DISTILLED OVERHEAD AND THE ESTER RESULTING FROM THE REACTION FRACTIONATED DOWNWARDLY. THE ESTERS ARE REMOVED FROM THE LOWER PART OF THE SECOND DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR AND ARE FED TO FOURTH DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR WHEREIN THEY ARE DECOMPOSED AND THE RESULTING LINEAR PENTENES ARE FRACTIONATED AWAY FROM THE ORGANIC ACID. LINEAR PENTENES ARE REMOVED FROM THE FOURTH DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR, AND A SEPARATED STREAM RICH IN THE ORGANIC ACID IS REMOVED FROM THE FOURTH DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR (AND RECYCLED AS REED BACK TO THE THIRD DISTILLATION COLUMN REACTOR).

Inventors

• 👤 Willard M Haunschild

Bibliographic Details