US 3,937,744 A · Vinyl chloride process

Abstract

Process for producing vinyl chloride from ethane by contacting, in a first reactor, ethane and chlorine and/or hydrogen chloride, as fresh feed, and as recycle, hydrogen chloride, ethyl chloride, ethylene and unconverted ethane with a molten mixture, including cuprous chloride, cupric chloride and copper oxychloride, to produce a reaction effluent including vinyl chloride, dichloroethane, primarily 1,2-dichloroethane, and the aforementioned recycle components. The vinyl chloride is recovered as product, the recycle components are recovered and recycled to the first reactor, and the 1,2-dichloroethane is recovered and recycled to the first reactor or contacted in a second reactor with a molten mixture including cuprous and cupric chloride to dehydrochlorinate the 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride. The molten mixture from the first reactor or second reactor, if employed, is contacted in a third reactor with molecular oxygen to generate copper oxychloride and melt from the third reactor is passed to the first reactor. 1,1-dichloroethane, if produced, may be passed to the first or second reactor for dehydrochlorination to vinyl chloride.

Claims43

Dependent claims

A process for producing vinyl chloride, comprising:

a. contacting at a temperature of from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F a feed comprising a member selected from the group consisting of ethane, ethylene and mixtures thereof with a melt comprising a multivalent metal chloride in both its higher and lower valence state to produce a reaction effluent comprising vinyl chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane, said multivalent metal chloride being selected from the group consisting of the chlorides of copper, chromium, cobalt, manganese and iron;
b. recovering 1,2-dichloroethane and vinyl chloride from the reaction effluent;
c. dehydrochlorinating at a temperature of from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F recovered 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride by contacting the 1,2-dichloroethane with a melt comprising a multivalent metal chloride in both its higher and lower valence state in an amount effective to catalyze the dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride, said multivalent metal chloride being selected from the group consisting of the chlorides of copper, chromium, cobalt, manganese and iron.

A process for producing vinyl chloride, comprising:

a. contacting in a first reaction zone a vapor feed comprising, ethane and a member selected from the group consisting of chlorine, hydrogen chloride and mixtures thereof, with a molten mixture comprising cuprous chloride, cupric chloride, copper oxychloride and potassium chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F;
b. withdrawing a first gaseous effluent from the first reaction zone comprising vinyl chloride and 1,2-dichloroethane;
c. recovering vinyl chloride from the first gaseous effluent as reaction product;
d. recovering 1,2-dichloroethane from the first gaseous effluent and introducing recovered gaseous 1,2-dichloroethane into a second reaction zone wherein the 1,2-dichloroethane is contacted with a molten mixture comprising cupric chloride, cuprous chloride and potassium chloride in an amount effective to catalyze the dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F to dehydrochlorinate 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride;
e. withdrawing a second gaseous effluent, comprising vinyl chloride, from the second reaction zone and recovering therefrom as reaction product vinyl chloride;
f. contacting in a third reaction zone at a temperature from about 600.degree.F to about 900.degree.F melt recovered from step (d) with gaseous molecular oxygen to produce copper oxychloride;
and
g. passing melt recovered from step (f) to step (a).

5 more elements

A continuous process for producing vinyl chloride, comprising:

a. contacting in a first reaction zone a vapor feed comprising, as fresh feed, ethane and a member selected from the group consisting of chlorine, hydrogen chloride and mixtures thereof and as recycle, unconverted ethane, ethylene and ethyl chloride, with a molten mixture comprising cuprous chloride, cupric chloride, copper oxychloride and potassium chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F;
b. withdrawing a first gaseous effluent from the first reaction zone comprising ethane, ethylene, vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane and ethyl chloride;
c. recovering from the first gaseous effluent and recycling to the first reaction zone ethane, ethylene, and ethyl chloride;
d. recovering vinyl chloride from the first gaseous effluent as reaction product;
e. recovering 1,2-dichloroethane from the first gaseous effluent and introducing recovered gaseous 1,2-dichloroethane into a second reaction zone wherein the 1,2-dichloroethane is contacted with a molten mixture comprising cupric chloride, cuprous chloride and potassium chloride, in an amount effective to catalyze the dehydrochlorination of 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride, said contacting being effected at a temperature from about 700.degree.F to about 1200.degree.F to dehydrochlorinate 1,2-dichloroethane to vinyl chloride;
f. withdrawing from the second reaction zone a second gaseous effluent, comprising vinyl chloride and recovering therefrom as reaction product vinyl chloride;
g. contacting in a third reaction zone at a temperature from about 600.degree.F to about 900.degree.F melt recovered from step (e) with gaseous molecular oxygen to produce copper oxychloride;
and
h. passing melt recovered from step (g) to step (a).

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Vinyl chloride process

Life of this patent

Vinyl chloride process

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims43