Epoxidation process

Abstract

Abstract DRAWING 1. IN THE CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE PREPARATION OF PROPLENE OXIDE BY THE REACTION BETWEEN PROPYLENE AND AN ORGANIC HYDROPEROXIIDE IN THE PRESENCE OF A LIQUID PHASE REACTION MEDIUM AND IN THE PRESENCE OF A CATALYST SELECTED FROM AT LEAST ONE MEMBER OF THE GROUP CONSISTING OF TITANIUM, VANADIUM, CHROMIUM, COLUMBIUM, SELENIUM, ZIRCONIUM, MOLYBDENUM, TELLURIUM, TANTALUM, TUNGSTEN, RHENIUM AND URANIUM; THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES, CONTINUOUSLY CONDUCTING THE REACTION IN A REACTOR AT A TEMPERATURE WITHIN THE RANGE BETWEEN ABOUT 90* C. AND ABOUT 200* C. AND AT THE AUTOGENOUS PRESSURE OF THE LIQUID PHASE REACTION MEDIUM SO THAT SAID MEDIUM IS A BOILING LIQUID, THE REACTOR FEED COMPRISING 10 TO 80 MOL PERCENT PROPYLENE AND 1 TO 60 MOL PERCENT HYDROPEROXIDE, CONTINUOUSLY VOLATILIZING A PORTION OF THE LIQUID PHASE REACTION MEDIUM DURING THE CONDUCT OF THE REACTION, AS A RESULT OF SAID BOILING, SAID VOLATILIZED PORTION CONTAINING AT LEAST ONE-FOURTH OF THE PROPYLENE OXIDE CONTAINING VA , REACTION, WITHDRAWING THE PROPYLENE OXIDE CONTAINING VAPROIZED REACTION MEDIUM FROM THE REACTOR AS A VAPOT, CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE UNVAPORIZED REACTION MEDIUM CONTAINING THE BALANCE OF THE PROPYLENE OXIDE PRODUCT FROM THE REACTOR AS A LIQUID, CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING PROLYLENE OXIDE FROM SAID WITHDRAWING VAPORIZED REACTION MEDIUM BY FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION AT TEMPERATURES NOR TO EXCEED 160* C. AND CONTINUOUSLY RECYCLING PROPYLENE IN SAID WITHDRAWN VAPORIZED REACTION MEDIUN TO THE EPOXIDATION REACTION AS PART OF THIS FEED THERETO.

Inventors

• 👤 T Stein
• 👤 H Gilman
• 👤 R Bobeck

Bibliographic Details