Scientific Design Company, Inc.

Christelle Verrier

Andrzej Rokicki

Arie Bortinger

Xiankuan Zhang

Wojciech L Suchanek

A conditioning process that is employed with a high selectivity catalyst (HSC) during an initial phase (i.e., start-up) of the epoxidation process is provided. The HSC conditioning process of the present disclosure ensures that the heat release from a catalyst bed containing an HSC during a start-up operation is less than 2000 kJ/Kgcat·hr. The HSC containing catalyst bed that has been conditioned by the process of the present disclosure exhibits improved performance (i.e., EO selectivity) and reduced hot spots.

Ethylene oxide high selectivity catalyst conditioning process

A method is provided for improving the performance of a silver-based epoxidation catalyst comprising a carrier. The carrier includes at least 80 percent alpha alumina and has a pore volume from 0.3 mL/g to 1.2 mL/g, a surface area from 0.3 m/g to 3.0 m/g, and a pore architecture that provides at least one of a tortuosity of 7 or less, a constriction of 4 or less and a permeability of 30 mdarcys or greater. A catalytic amount of silver and a promoting amount of one or more promoters is disposed on and/or in said carrier. The method further includes the steps of initiating an epoxidation reaction by reacting a feed gas composition containing ethylene and oxygen present in a ratio of from about 3.5:1 to about 12:1, in the presence of the silver-based epoxidation catalyst at a temperature of about 200&#xb0; C. to about 230&#xb0; C., and subsequently increasing the temperature either stepwise or continuously.

Epoxidation process

A process for the preparation of a catalyst useful for the vapor phase production of ethylene oxide from ethylene and oxygen comprising the steps of providing a catalyst precursor comprising an inert support having a catalytically effective amount of a silver containing compound, a promoting amount of an alkali metal containing compound, and a promoting amount of a transition metal containing compound disposed thereon; and heating the catalyst precursor in a gas atmosphere for a first period of time and a second period of time, wherein for the first period of time the gas atmosphere is an inert gas atmosphere and the temperature range is from about 25&#xb0; C. to about 600&#xb0; C., and then in a second period of time the gas atmosphere is an oxygen-containing atmosphere and the second period temperature range is from about 350&#xb0; C. to about 600&#xb0; C.

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Little Ferry, NJ, United States of America

Christelle Verrier