Process to produce ethylene and vinyl acetate monomer and derivatives thereof

A chemical complex for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane and production of vinyl acetate monomer, the chemical complex comprising in cooperative arrangement:

• i) at least one oxidative dehydrogenation reactor, comprising an oxidative dehydrogenation catalyst and designed to accept, in the presence of an inert diluent, an oxygen containing gas and an ethane containing gas, and to produce a product stream comprising ethylene, acetic acid, oxygen and carbon monoxide;
• ii) a quench tower for quenching the product stream and for generating an acetic acid stream comprising acetic acid and an ethylene product stream comprising ethylene, carbon monoxide and oxygen;
• iii) a distillation tower for separating at least a portion of the ethylene product stream into a C2/C2+ stream and an overhead stream;
• iv) an oxygen separation module to separate oxygen from the overhead stream and form an oxygen enriched gas;
• v) a carbon monoxide oxidation reactor for oxidizing carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide and eliminating acetylene in the ethylene product stream;
• and
• v) a vinyl acetate monomer (VAM) reactor configured to accept a portion of the ethylene product stream and at least a portion of the acetic acid stream and including a VAM catalyst to produce a VAM product stream comprising vinyl acetate monomer.

A method of converting ethane to ethylene and producing vinyl acetate comprising:

• a. providing a first stream comprising ethane and oxygen to an oxidative dehydrogenation reactor;
• b. converting at least a portion of the ethane to ethylene and acetic acid in the oxidative dehydrogenation reactor to provide a second stream exiting the oxidative dehydrogenation reactor comprising ethane, ethylene, and acetic acid;
• c. separating at least a portion of the acetic acid from the second stream to provide an acetic acid containing stream and a third stream comprising ethane, and ethylene;
• d. separating at least a portion of the third stream to form an overhead stream comprising methane and oxygen;
• e. recycling an oxygen enhanced stream to the oxidative dehydrogenation reactor;
• and
• f. providing a portion of the third stream and at least a portion of the acetic acid containing stream to a third reactor containing a catalyst comprising a metal selected from the group 10 and group 11 metals and combinations thereof to convert a least a portion of the ethylene and acetic acid to vinyl acetate.