Allied Chemical Corporation

Edmund W Smalley

Bruce E Kurtz

Bhaskar Bandyopadhyay

Walter E Sommerman

John R Van Atta

Process is provided for removal of chloroprenes as impurities from ethylene dichloride streams formed in the production of vinyl chloride by the thermal cracking of ethylene dichloride. The ethylene dichloride stream is subjected to distillation in a distillation zone to which free chlorine gas is introduced, thereby chlorinating the chloroprenes contained therein and forming higher boiling chlorocarbons as reaction products. The higher boiling chlorocarbons, together with ethylene dichloride, may be removed as bottoms and passed to a second distillation zone for separation of ethylene dichloride from the higher boiling impurities, thereby producing a substantially pure ethylene dichloride which may be recycled to the cracking step.

Removal of chloroprenes from ethylene dichloride

Process and apparatus are provided for producing ethylene by the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane wherein ethane is introduced to a cylindrical jet reactor wherein the ethane is reacted at elevated temperatures with a gas mixture containing oxygen and chlorine, introduced to the reactor through a jet positioned substantially coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the reactor.

Process for producing ethylene from ethane

A process is provided for removing vinyl chloride from gaseous streams containing the same wherein the gaseous vinyl chloride stream is contacted with a hypochlorous acid solution for substantially complete absorption and reaction of the vinyl chloride, thereby minimizing the hazards associated with passage of vinyl chloride monomer to the atmosphere.

Purification process

A process is disclosed for the production of ethylene dichloride from ethane. Ethane is introduced into an autothermic (self-sustaining) cracking zone together with controlled proportions of chlorine and oxygen. The autothermic cracking zone is maintained at a temperature above about 700.degree. C. but below 1000.degree. C. for a sufficient time to convert from about 20 to 95 percent of the ethane having about 96 to 74 percent ethylene yield, respectively, based on the converted ethane. The reaction mixture, containing predominantly ethylene and hydrogen chloride, is quenched with a volatile liquid. The quenched mixture is passed, together with oxygen, into a catalytically activated oxyhydrochlorination zone to convert the ethylene, hydrogen chloride and oxygen to ethylene dichloride. If vinyl chloride is desired as a product, part or all of the produced ethylene dichloride is passed to a second cracking zone for conversion to vinyl chloride product and hydrogen chloride. The hydrogen chloride produced is recycled to the oxyhydrochlorination zone. Ethylene dichloride, vinyl chloride or mixtures of ethylene dichloride and vinyl chloride can be recovered as product, with substantially complete utilization of the hydrogen chloride produced.

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Brewerton, NY, United States of America

Edmund W Smalley