Process for recovery of anhydrous hydrogen chloride from mixtures with non-condensable gases

A process for producing a desired less-chlorinated hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons and hydrogen chloride, with at least some of the hydrogen chloride being in anhydrous form, from a chlorinated hydrocarbon feedstock which comprises the steps of:

• reacting the chlorinated hydrocarbon feedstock and hydrogen in the presence of a suitable catalyst, under conditions effective to form a product stream comprising the desired less-chlorinated hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons and hydrogen chloride;
• distilling the product stream from such catalytic process at a pressure equal to or greater than employed in reacting the chlorinated hydrocarbon and hydrogen in said catalytic process, to produce a bottoms stream comprising about 95 percent by weight or more of the less-chlorinated hydrocarbon or hydrocarbons in the product stream and an overheads stream comprising about 95 percent by weight or greater of the hydrogen chloride in the product stream, together with unreacted hydrogen and any other non-condensable gases contained in said product stream;
• and
• compressing and refrigerating the overheads stream to produce a desired proportion of the hydrogen chloride in the overheads stream in a liquid anhydrous form, and a vapor stream containing substantially all of the unreacted hydrogen and other non-condensable gases if any from said overheads stream.