Scrubbing process for polyarylene sulfide formation
AssigneeTicona LLC
InventorHendrich Alvarez Chiong
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method and system for formation of a polyarylene sulfide is described. The method includes a first stage in which a complex is formed in a reactor. The complex includes the hydrolysis product of an organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydrosulfide. The complex formation reaction also forms hydrogen sulfide as a by-product. The method also includes treating a fluid stream that is pulled off of the reactor. The treatment includes scrubbing the fluid stream to recover hydrogen sulfide from the stream and return the hydrogen sulfide to the reactor. The recovery and recycle of the hydrogen sulfide can prevent loss of sulfur from a polyarylene sulfide formation process.
Claims26
A method for forming a polyarylene sulfide comprising:
- reacting a first organic amide solvent with an alkali metal sulfide in the presence of water in a first reactor to form a complex that includes the hydrolysis product of the first organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydrosulfide, the reaction producing a hydrogen sulfide by-product, the alkali metal sulfide including a molar amount of sulfur;
- scrubbing a fluid stream that includes the hydrogen sulfide by-product with a scrubbing mixture to form a sulfur-containing mixture, the scrubbing mixture including a second organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydroxide;
- charging the sulfur-containing mixture to the first reactor;
- reacting the complex with a first dihaloaromatic monomer to form a polyarylene sulfide prepolymer;
- and
- reacting the polyarylene sulfide prepolymer with a second dihaloaromatic monomer and a sulfur-containing monomer in a third organic amide solvent to form the polyarylene sulfide.
A system for forming a polyarylene sulfide, the system comprising:
- a first reactor for forming a complex including a hydrolysis product of an organic amide solvent and an alkali metal hydrogen sulfide, the first reactor including a first outlet for removal of a fluid stream from the first reactor and a second outlet for removal of the complex from the first reactor and subsequent delivery of the complex to a second reactor;
- a scrubber in fluid communication with the first outlet of the first reactor such that the fluid stream from the first reactor can flow to the scrubber, the scrubber including an outlet in fluid communication with the first reactor such that a fluid from the scrubber can flow to the reactor;
- the second reactor including a first inlet for receiving the complex from the first reactor, a second inlet for receiving a first dihaloaromatic monomer, a first outlet for removal of a polyarylene sulfide prepolymer from the second reactor and subsequent delivery of the polyarylene sulfide prepolymer to a third reactor, the polyarylene sulfide prepolymer being formed in the second reactor by reaction of the complex with the first dihaloaromatic monomer;
- and
- the third reactor including a first inlet for receiving the prepolymer from the second reactor, a second inlet for receiving a second dihaloaromatic monomer, a third inlet for receiving a sulfur-containing monomer and a first outlet for removal of the polyarylene sulfide from the third reactor, the polyarylene sulfide being formed in the third reactor by reaction of the prepolymer with the second dihaloaromatic monomer and the sulfur-containing monomer.
The system of claim 221, further comprising a collection vessel in fluid communication with the condenser.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.