Amt International Inc.

Cpc Corporation, Taiwan

Pai-Yu Polly Chiang

Kuang-Yeu Wu

Karl T Chuang

Tzong-Bin Lin

Adam T Lee

Hung-Chung Shen

Karl Tze-Tang Chuang

Ji-Young Jang

Xie Runxing

Wang Changzhi

A tray assembly for improved gas/liquid contact in a chemical process tower includes a tray deck and a downcomer. A mixer is provided in the top of the downcomer and a distributor is attached to a floor of the downcomer. The mixer includes at least one mixing baffle parallel to an outlet weir on the tray. The distributor includes a plurality of spaced apart flow directing plates extending downwardly toward and spaced apart from the floor of the downcomer. In combination, the mixer and distributor effect even liquid flow across the surface of a subjacent tray deck.

Tray assembly for gas/liquid contact tower

A carboxylic acid e.g. acetic acid, is recovered from an aqueous feed stream containing the corresponding ester, an alcohol and a small amount of water by catalytically dehydrating the alcohol to the corresponding ether and water, and reacting the water with the ester to generate a liquid carboxylic acid rich product stream. The acid is recovered by distillation. In a second embodiment, additional alcohol and/or water are co-fed with the feed or fed directly to a catalytic distillation column, resulting in a liquid bottom product stream of substantially pure acetic acid and a top distillate stream of substantially pure ether.

Process for recovery of a carboxylic acid from a feed stream containing the corresponding ester

The invention disclosed relates to catalytic distillation column internals providing improved liquid reaction mixture and catalyst contacting for simultaneous catalytic reaction and separation of the reaction mixture. The invention is an improved catalytic distillation apparatus providing optimum balance of catalytic reaction and mass transfer steps, wherein distribution, mixing and feeding of liquid reaction mixture to the reaction zone and distillation section are better controlled and more uniformly applied. At least one catalyst bed is situated in at least one receiving pan of a distillation tray so that the tray performs the functions of both of the reaction section and the distillation section of the catalytic distillation column simultaneously within a stage.

Apparatus for catalytic distillation processes

Growing community of inventors

Dallas, TX, United States of America

Pai-Yu Polly Chiang