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US 5,345,006 AGranted
Method and apparatus for operating a catalytic distillation process
OwnerLawrence A. Smith, Jr.inventor
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for conducting a catalytic distillation process is provided which allows for maintaining a liquid level in selected portions of the catalyst bed. Three particular processes disclosed are the production of methyl tertiary butyl ether, tertiary butyl alcohol and cumene.
Claims7
A method for the production of tertiary butyl alcohol comprising the steps of:
- (a) concurrently feeding a first stream comprising C.sub.4 hydrocarbon containing isobutylene and a second stream containing water to a distillation column reactor in a feed zone, said distillation column reactor having an upper reaction distillation zone containing a fixed bed acidic catalytic distillation packing and a lower distillation zone:
- (b) concurrently in said distillation column reactor;
- (1) contacting said first and second streams with said acidic catalytic distillation packing in said reaction distillation zone thereby catalytically reacting said isobutylene with said water to form a reaction mixture containing tertiary butyl alcohol, unreacted isobutylene and water and
- (2) fractionating said reaction mixture in both said zones while maintaining a froth level in said reaction distillation zone, said froth level being characterized as an increased density of the material in the reaction distillation zone compared to a distillation carried out in the absence of said froth level,
- (c) withdrawing said tertiary butyl alcohol from said distillation column reactor as bottoms;
- and
- (d) withdrawing unreacted C.sub.4 hydrocarbons and water from said distillation column as overheads.
4 more elements
A method for the production of tertiary butyl alcohol comprising the steps of:
- (a) concurrently feeding a first stream containing isobutylene to a distillation column reactor in a first feed zone and a second stream containing water to said distillation column reactor in a second feed zone, said distillation column reactor having an upper reaction distillation zone containing a fixed bed acidic catalytic distillation packing and a lower distillation zone, said first feed zone being below said reaction distillation zone and said second feed zone being above said reaction distillation zone:
- (b) concurrently in said distillation column reactor;
- (1) contacting said first and second streams with said acidic catalytic distillation packing in said reaction distillation zone at a temperature of about 185.degree. F. thereby catalytically reacting a portion of said isobutylene with said water to form a reaction mixture containing tertiary butyl alcohol, unreacted isobutylene and water and
- (2) fractionating said reaction mixture at an overhead pressure of about 165 psig in both said zones while maintaining a froth level in said reaction distillation zone, said froth level being characterized as an increased density of the material in the reaction distillation zone compared to a distillation carried out in the absence of said froth level, said froth level being measured as a percentage of the differential pressure across said distillation reaction zone as compared to totally flooded conditions and said percentage is about 90-95%;
- (c) withdrawing said tertiary butyl alcohol from said distillation column reactor as bottoms;
- and
- (d) withdrawing unreacted isobutylene and water from said distillation column as overheads.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.