Ethylene oxide process

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING AN ESSENTIALLY HYDROCARBON-FREE CARBON DIOXIDE STREAM FROM A RECYCLE STREAM CONTAINING C1-2 HYDROCARBONS IN THE PARTIAL OXIDATION OF ETHYLENE TO ETHYLENE OXIDE, WHEREIN THE HYDROCARBONS ENTRAINED AND/OR DISSOLVED WITH THE CARBON DIOXIDE STREAM ARE RECOVERED WHICH PROCESS COMPRISES A. CONTACTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE TOTAL RECYCLE HYDROCARBON STREAM WITH A CARBON DIOXIDE ABSORBING AQUEOUS LIQUID IN A SCRUBBING ZONE, THEREBY PRODUCING A HYDROCARBON-RICH OVERHEAD AND A CARBON DIOXIDE-FAT ABSORBATE CONTAINING SOME HYDROCARBON, B. FLASHING SAID FAT ABSORBATE IN A FLASHING ZONE TO PRODUCE A HYDROCARBON-CONTAINING VAPOR STREAM AND A HYDROCARBON-LEAN, CARBON DIOXIDE-FAT ABSORBATE, C. CONTACTING AT LEAST A PORTION OF THE HYDROCARBON-LEAN, CARBON DIOXIDE-FAT ABSORBATE IN AN INTERMEDIATE STRIPPING ZONE WITH STEAM OR AN INERT GAS TO PRODUCE A HYDROCARBON-CONTAINING OVERHEAD VAPOR STREAM AND A SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROCARBON-FREE, CARBON DIOXIDE-FAT ABSORBATE, AND D. COMBINING ANY HYDROCARBON-LEAN, CARBON DIOXIDE FAT ABSORBATE AND THE SUBSTANTIALLY HYDROCARBON-FREE ABSORBATE STREAMS IN A STRIPPING ZONE TO PRODUCE A CARBON DIOXIDE OVERHEAD STEAM SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF HYDROCARBONS.