Process for producing diisopropyl ether from high purity propylene

A process for producing diisopropyl ether comprising:

• (a) reacting water and the propylene of a feedstock containing at least 99.9 mass % propylene to produce isopropyl alcohol and reacting the isopropyl alcohol with propylene to produce diisopropyl ether in a single reactor and in the presence of an acidic ion exchange resin catalyst and a C4 diluent at a temperature of from about 105° C. to about 133° C. to generate a reactor effluent comprising water, isopropyl alcohol, diisopropyl ether, propylene, C4 and acid;
• (b) treating the mixture in an acid removal zone to generate an acid-depleted mixture;
• (c) recycling a portion of the acid-depleted mixture to the reactor, and passing a second portion of the acid-depleted mixture to a light ends fractionation column wherein the light ends fractionation column is a dividing wall column;
• (d) separating, in the light ends fractionation column, a side cut stream comprising C4, and a bottoms stream comprising water, isopropyl alcohol, and diisopropyl ether;
• (e) separating in the light ends fractionation column, a first propane and propylene portion in a first zone and a second propane and propylene portion in a second zone;
• (f) contacting the first propane and propylene portion in the first zone with water and a catalyst to generate isopropyl alcohol with unreacted propane removed in a propane overhead stream;
• (g) recycling the second propane and propylene portion from the second zone to the reactor;
• (h) passing the sidecut stream comprising C4 to the reactor;
• and
• (i) passing the bottoms stream to a recovery zone to separate and collect the diisopropylether.