Loading patent…
AssigneeRaphael Katzen Associates International, Inc.
InventorsRaphael Katzen, George D. Moon, Jr., Jimmy D. Kumana
Estimating the term…
An improved distillation method is provided for obtaining motor fuel grade anhydrous ethanol from fermentation or synthetic feedstocks. A three tower system is used comprising a stripper-rectifier tower in which the dilute feedstock is converted to a concentrated ethanol stream, a dehydrating tower in which water is removed from the concentrated ethanol stream by azeotropic distillation, and a stripper tower for recovering the azeotropic agent. The invention effects substantial energy savings by utilizing the heat content of the overhead vapors from the stripper-rectifier tower to supply the heat required for the dehydrating and stripper towers and by preheating the feedstock in stages utilizing the heat content of the overhead vapors from the dehydrating and stripper towers, the heat content of the overhead vapors from the stripper-rectifier tower and the heat content of the bottoms from the stripper-rectifier tower. Provision is also made for separately removing lower boiling and higher boiling impurities from the stripper-rectifier tower which may be blended into the anhydrous ethanol product from the dehydrating tower.
In a distillation system for recovering anhydrous ethanol from a dilute feedstock wherein the feedstock is introduced into a stripper-rectifier tower, a concentrated ethanol stream is removed from said stripper-rectifier tower and introduced into a dehydrating tower, an azeotropic agent is also introduced into said dehydrating tower, a substantially azeotropic composition is removed overhead from said dehydrating tower, an anyhydrous ethanol product is recovered from the bottom portion of said dehydrating tower, the azeotropic overhead from said dehydrating tower is condensed and separated into an upper phase rich in azeotropic agent and a lower water-rich phase, the upper phase is returned to said dehydrating tower, and the lower water-rich phase is introduced into a stripper tower wherein the azeotropic agent is recovered and returned to the system;
In an apparatus for recovering anhydrous ethanol from a dilute feedstock including a stripper-rectifier tower, a dehydrating tower, a stripper tower, means for introducing the feedstock to the midsection of said stripper-rectifier tower, means for withdrawing a concentrated ethanol stream from the upper portion of said stripper-rectifier tower and introducing the same into said dehydrating tower, means for introducing an azeotropic agent into said dehydrating tower, means for removing an azeotropic overhead from said dehydrating tower, means for removing an anhydrous ethanol product from the bottom portion of said dehydrating tower, condenser means for condensing said azeotropic overhead and separating the resultant condensate into an upper phase rich in said azeotropic agent and a lower water-rich phase, means for returning said upper phase to said dehydrating tower, means for introducing said lower phase into said stripper tower, and means for recovering said azeotropic agent from said stripper tower and returning the same to said dehydrating tower;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.