Abstract Small amounts of inert gaseous components in admixture with ethylene oxide and water vapor are removed therefrom, and the ethylene oxide recovered as an aqueous fraction, by (a) cooling the mixture so as to effect its partial condensation; (b) phase separating the partially condensed mixture into condensate and vapor fractions; (c) separately cooling the condensate and vapor fractions to a temperature no lower than 11* C; (d) countercurrently contacting the cooled condensate with at least a portion of the cooled vapor fraction in an ethylene oxide reabsorption zone; and (e) removing from the reabsorption zone an inerts vent as overhead and an aqueous ethylene oxide fraction, substantially free of inerts, as bottoms.
Inventors
👤 R Vanderwater
👤 J Cunningham
👤 Foster E Gordon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number—
JurisdictionUS
Data Sourcegoogle_patents
Last Synchronized2026-11-02 14:26
CPC Classifications
C; C07; C07D; C07D301/00; C07D301/32
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 6
Claim 1
Independent Claim
29 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the phase separated condensate and vapor fractions are separately and independently cooled to a temperature of from about 14* to about 30* C.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
22 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the stripping zone overhead is cooled to a temperature of about 35* to about 50* C.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
36 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cooled portion of the vapor fraction is countercurrently contacted with cooled condensate and up to 5 moles of water per mole of ethylene oxide in the stripping zone overhead.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
The process of claim 1 wherein the cooled condensate fraction is countercurrently contacted with all of the cooled vapor fraction in the ethylene oxide reabsorption zone.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The process of claim 1 wherein at least a portion of the reabsorption zone bottoms is recycled and mixed with the vapor fraction immediately following phase separation of the partially condensed stripping zone overhead.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
54 words
The process of claim 6 wherein a. all of the reabsorption zone bottoms is recycled and b. the cooled mixture of partial condensation vapor fraction and ethylene oxide reabsorption zone bottoms is phase separated to produce cooled, ethylene oxide reabsorption zone vapor fraction feed and an aqueous ethylene oxide liquid, substantially free of inerts.