Process for catalytically converting methanol to formaldehyde

Abstract

In catalytically oxidizing methanol in the vapor phase according to already-known processes for the production of formaldehyde, the hot formaldehyde-containing gaseous effluent of the catalytic converter is rapidly cooled by being passed through the tubes of a heat exchanger which are filled with balls composed of a solid which is substantially inert toward formaldehyde. As compared with a similar cooling system in which the tubes are empty or in which enhancement of heat transfer is attempted by using metal heat-transfer enhancement devices such as twisted metal ribbons, the present method affords reduced post-reaction decomposition of formaldehyde while at the same time allowing use of a relatively high temperature on the shell side of the heat exchanger whereby it becomes possible to raise steam at a pressure higher than that characteristic of the prior art.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.