Separation method and separation process system for recovering ethylene
AssigneeLG Chem, Ltd.
InventorsHoi In Jeong, Mi Kyung Kim, Jong Ku Lee, Jeong Seok Lee
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a separation method and a separation process system for easily recovering ethanol from an ethanol oligomerization reactant containing unreacted ethanol. A separation method according to the present invention may improve the economics and increase separation efficiency by easily refluxing ethylene while reducing or excluding the use of a reflux system which uses an expensive cooling medium, and the like, and may also improve process efficiency by reducing the amount of heat used by a reboiler.
Claims27
A separation method for recovering ethylene from an ethylene oligomerization reactant, the method comprising:
- 1) cooling the ethylene oligomerization reactant;
- 2) flashing the cooled reactant to thereby separate the reactant into a first top fraction and a first bottom fraction;
- 3) introducing the first bottom fraction into a distillation column, and recovering a second top fraction from the top of the column and a second bottom fraction from the bottom of the column;
- and
- 4) condensing the recovered second top fraction through a first heat exchange with a portion of the first bottom fraction,
- wherein, after going through the first heat exchange with the second top fraction, the portion of the first bottom fraction goes through a second heat exchange with the reactant in the step 1).
A separation process system for recovering ethylene from an ethylene oligomerization reactant, the separation process system comprising:
- a supply unit supplying the ethylene oligomerization reactant;
- a cooling unit connected to the supply unit and cooling the reactant;
- and
- a processing unit connected to the cooling unit and configured to separate ethylene from the cooled reactant,
- wherein the processing unit includes,
- a flashing unit having at least one flashing column disposed therein which performs thermally insulated flashing, wherein the at least one flashing column comprises a first bottom discharge line, and
- a recovery unit connected to the flashing unit, and having a distillation column, a condenser, and a reboiler,
- wherein the at least one flashing column is connected to the distillation column via the first bottom discharge line, and
- wherein the cooling unit and the processing unit are connected by a circulation line, wherein the circulation line is connected, in sequence, to the first bottom discharge line, the condenser, and the cooling unit, and circulates at least a portion of the first bottom fraction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.