Ashland Oil, Inc.

Carlo Scaccia

Ralph F Pascoe

John R Overley

A process and apparatus using two gas liquid separations when carbonylating propylene to isobutyryl fluoride in hydrogen fluoride result in a savings in recycle pumping energy compared to a one gas-liquid separation process.

Gas-liquid process for preparing isobutyryl fluoride and reactor therefor

A process for the improvement in the utilization of carbon monoxide and for the utilization of propylene having varying grades of purity in the carbonylation of propylene with carbon monoxide and hydrogen fluoride to form isobutyryl fluoride in a carbonylation reactor whereby the effluent from the reactor is (a) passed into a first phase separator where the effluent is separated into an overhead gaseous stream and a bottom liquid stream which contains unreacted carbon monoxide, (b) the bottom liquid stream from (a) is passed into a second reactor where it is contacted with a gaseous stream which contains propylene and allowing essentially all of the propylene to react, (c) the effluent from the second reactor is passed to a second phase separator where overhead gases are separated from liquid bottoms, (d) the liquid bottoms from the second phase separator are passed to a degassing pot where overhead gases are removed and the liquid bottoms stream which is essentially isobutyryl fluoride is taken to recovery, (e) the overhead gases from (d) are optionally mixed with inert gases and the stream is recycled to the hydrogen fluoride fed to the carbonylation reactor and/or recycled back to the gaseous stream in (b), (f) the gases from overhead stream in (a) are passed to a compressor and then to the recycle gaseous stream from (e), (g) the overhead gases from (e) are divided into a first portion which is sent to recycle as in (e) and a second portion which is sent to a refrigeration unit where said second portion into a bottom stream of less volatile materials and an overhead stream of volatile materials, a portion of the bottoms stream is added to the isobutyryl fluoride stream for recovery in (d), and the overhead, less volatile stream from (g) is sent to waste disposal is described.

Process for the carbonylation of propylene

A process is described for preparing isobutyryl fluoride which involves reacting propylene, carbon monoxide and hydrogen fluoride under substantially anhydrous conditions in at least two continuous flow reaction zones, and the incremental addition of propylene and carbon monoxide to the reaction mixture at a point or points between the reaction zones.

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Worthington, OH, United States of America

Carlo Scaccia