Ether recovery
AssigneePhillips Petroleum Company
InventorsJohn H. Eason, Joseph Klepac
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The alcohol, ether and hydrocarbon components of the reaction effluent from various etherifications of C.sub.4 or C.sub.5 isoolefins with an alcohol such as methanol or ethanol which produce MTBE, ETBE, TAME, or TAEE are separated using identical process equipment. The components are recovered by first removing a portion of the alcohol in a first water extraction step, then fractionating the ether, followed by the removal of additional alcohol in a second water extraction step and then fractionating the alcohol. Hydrocarbons are recovered from a extract stream of the second water extraction step.
Claims7
A process for separating an etherification reaction effluent stream containing a tertiary alkyl ether, unreacted alcohol, hydrocarbons comprising unreacted isoolefins, and other hydrocarbons, said process comprising:
- (a) passing said etherification reaction effluent stream to a first separation zone which comprises a first extraction column, and a first fractionator;
- (b) separating said etherification reaction effluent stream in said first separation zone under conditions which provide a first stream comprising a mixture of said hydrocarbons and said alcohol which is withdrawn from the overhead of said first fractionator, a second stream comprising a product stream of said tertiary alkyl ether which is withdrawn from the bottom of said first fractionator, and a third stream comprising a water/alcohol mixture which is withdrawn from the bottom of said first extractor;
- (c) passing said first stream to a second separation zone which comprises a second extraction column, and a stripper column;
- (d) separating said first stream in said second separation zone under conditions which provide a fourth stream comprising stabilized hydrocarbons which is withdrawn from the bottom of said stripper, and a fifth stream comprising a water/alcohol mixture which is withdrawn from the bottom of said second extractor;
- and
- (e) combining said fifth stream and said third stream to form a sixth stream and passing said sixth stream to a second fractionator which yields a seventh stream comprising alcohol which is withdrawn from the overhead of said second fractionator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.