Optimized Liquid-Phase Oxidation
AssigneeEastman Chemical Company
InventorsAlan George Wonders, Robert Lin, Marcel de Vreede, Lee Reynolds Partin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
Claims16
In a bubble column reactor for reacting a predominately liquid-phase stream and a predominately gas-phase stream, the improvement comprising:
- a vessel shell defining an elongated reaction zone, wherein said vessel shell is elongated along a central shell axis, wherein said reaction zone presents axially-spaced normally-upper and normally-lower ends;
- one or more gas openings for introducing said predominately gas-phase feed into said reaction zone;
- one or more liquid openings for introducing said predominately liquid-phase feed into said reaction zone;
- and
- one or more baffles disposed in said reaction zone generally above at least one of said gas openings, wherein said baffles present one or more exposed outer surfaces, wherein less than about 50 percent of the total upwardly-facing surface area of said exposed outer surfaces is formed by substantially planar surfaces inclined less than about 20 degrees from horizontal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.