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AssigneeLummus Crest, Inc.
InventorHelion H. Sardina
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An improved process for the production of styrene through dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in the presence of steam at elevated temperatures, comprising (1) recovering heat of condensation normally lost during separation of the various components of the dehydrogenation reaction effluent, especially of ethylbenzene from styrene, without need or use of a compressor and (2) using such heat to vaporize an aqueous feed mixture of ethylbenzene and dilution water that is introduced into the dehydrogenation reactor, preferably at about atmospheric pressure, thereby obviating the need to use steam to vaporize the liquid ethylbenzene feed and also enabling much of the diluent steam needed as sensible heat for the dehydrogenation reaction to be generated from water.
In a process for the production of styrene from the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in a dehydrogenation zone at elevated temperatures in the presence of steam, whereby the dehydrogenation effluent is cooled and then separated into three phases consisting of a gaseous phase comprising hydrocarbons, an aqueous phase comprising steam condensate, and an organic phase comprising crude styrene and unreacted ethylbenzene, and whereby said crude styrene is separated from said unreacted ethylbenzene by distillation and the styrene monomer product is recovered, the overhead from the distillation column for separating said crude styrene from said unreacted ethylbenzene being passed into a condenser into indirect heat exchange with a fluid comprising ethylbenzene and water passing through said condenser, the improvement comprising operating the ethylbenzene--water side of said condenser at a pressure between about 8 psia and about 25 psia;
In a process for the production of styrene from the catalytic dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene in a dehydrogenation zone at elevated temperatures in the presence of steam, whereby the dehydrogenation effluent is cooled and then separated into three phases consisting of a gaseous phase comprising hydrocarbons, an aqueous phase comprising steam condensate, and an organic phase comprising crude styrene and unreacted ethylbenzene, and whereby said crude styrene is separated from said unreacted ethylbenzene by distillation and the styrene monomer product is recovered, the overhead from the distillation column for separating said crude styrene from said unreacted ethylbenzene being passed into a condenser into indirect heat exchange with a fluid passing through said condenser, the improvement comprising operating the ethylbenzene steam side of said condenser at a pressure between about 8 psia and about 25 psia;
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.