Process for the hydration of olefins employing slurried catalyst

A process for the liquid phase hydration of olefin to the corresponding alkanol in an olefin hydration reactor which comprises hydrating olefin at elevated temperature and superatmospheric pressure in an aqueous reaction medium containing a catalytically effective amount of at least one substantially water-insoluble olefin hydration catalyst in the form of solid particles substantially uniformly distributed throughout the entire reaction medium to provide an aqueous reaction medium containing alkanol, unreacted olefin and suspended catalyst, continuously or intermittently withdrawing a portion of the reaction medium through an expansion valve to simultaneously flash off alkanol and unreacted olefin and cool the residual aqueous catalyst suspension, and cooling the flash-off vapors to condense the alkanol as dilute aqueous alkanol.