Method of controlling the production of silver chloride on a silver catalyst in the production of alkylene oxides
AssigneeDow Technology Investments LLC
InventorsWilliam H. Henstock, Juliana G. Serafin, Albert C. Liu, Hwaili Soo, Yujun Liu, Manuk Colakyan, Sagar Petkar
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Abstract
A plant and process for producing alkylene oxides to control the production of silver chloride on a high efficiency silver catalyst is disclosed and described. The process involves reacting an alkylene and an organic chloride gas phase promoter with oxygen over the high efficiency silver catalyst. The sulfur concentration in the alkylene oxide reactor feed is controlled to reduce the production of silver chloride which acts as a catalyst poison.
Claims20
A process for controlling the formation of silver chloride on a high-efficiency silver catalyst used in the production of an alkylene oxide from a reactor feed gas comprising an alkylene, oxygen, and at least one organic chloride, the process comprising controlling the concentration of sulfur in the reactor feed gas on an atomic basis to no more than about 50 ppbv.
A process for manufacturing an alkylene oxide, comprising:
- providing an alkylene feed comprising at least one sulfur-containing compound;
- removing at least a portion of the at least one sulfur-containing compound from the alkylene feed to yield a desulfurized alkylene feed;
- combining the desulfurized alkylene feed with at least oxygen and at least one organic chloride to yield a reactor feed gas;
- controlling the concentration of sulfur in the reactor feed gas on an atomic basis to no more than about 50 ppbv;
- and
- reacting the reactor feed gas over a high efficiency silver catalyst to yield a reaction product comprising the alkylene oxide.
An alkylene oxide plant, comprising:
- a desulfurizing unit having an alkylene feed gas inlet and a desulfurized alkylene gas outlet;
- and
- an alkylene oxide reactor comprising a high efficiency silver catalyst bed, a reactor feed gas inlet, and an alkylene oxide product outlet, wherein the reactor feed gas inlet is fluidly coupled to the desulfurized alkylene gas outlet of the desulfurizing unit, an oxygen source, and an organic chloride source, and the plant is configured to control the concentration of sulfur in the reactor feed gas on an atomic basis to no more than about 50 ppbv.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.