Celanese International Corporation

Celanese International Corporaton

Jones, Kurt N.

Ronald David Shaver

Mark O Scates

Yaw-Hwa Liu

G Paull Torrence

Raymond J Zinobile

James H Zink

Brian W Hokkanen

Yaw-Haw Liu

Tianshu Pan

Victor J Johnston

Sarah Lane Abrego

Lincoln Sarager

Michael O Nutt

R Jay Warner

Heiko Weiner

Radmila Jevtic

David E Lee

Nathan Kirk Powell

Fred Ronald Olsson

Wayne David Picard

Oyeyemi F Oyerinde

Michael B Lakin

Ashok Rakhe

Ismael Torres Tejeda

Greg Blanchard

Nathan Jeremy Nagel

Josefina T Chapman

Adam Orosco

Trinity Horton

Jeremy J Patt

Barbara F M Kimmich

Andrew Shuff

Gregory Blanchard

Robert Glenn Golightly

Raymond Zinobile

Michael Lakin

Robert Glenn Golighty

A process for producing acetic acid that involves operating the flash vessel and first column at the lowest possible pressure for a given production rate is described. Low pressures are achieved by operating on a back pressure established by a vapor discharge from an absorbing system. This reduces the pressure differential to allow steady and efficient acetic acid production.

Process for continuous acetic acid production

Processes for purifying acetic acid by distilling a process stream in a column in which acetic anhydride is formed in the lower portion of the column. The product stream withdrawn from the column comprises acetic acid, water at a concentration of no more than 0.2 wt. %, and acetic anhydride at a concentration of no more than 600 wppm. The process further comprises hydrating the acetic anhydride in the product stream to form a purified acetic acid product comprising acetic anhydride at a concentration of no more than 50 wppm.

Processes for purifying acetic acid and hydrating anhydride

A process for producing acetic acid is disclosed in which the methyl iodide concentration is maintained in the vapor product stream formed in a flashing step. The methyl iodide concentration in the vapor product stream ranges from 24 to less than 36 wt. % methyl iodide, based on the weight of the vapor product stream. In addition, the acetaldehyde concentration is maintained within the range from 0.005 to 1 wt. % in the vapor product stream. The vapor product stream is distilled in a first column to obtain an acetic acid product stream comprising acetic acid and up to 300 wppm hydrogen iodide and/or from 0.1 to 6 wt. % methyl iodide and an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide, water and methyl acetate.

Process for flashing a reaction medium

A process for producing acetic acid is disclosed in which the recycle ratio of the mass flow of the light liquid phase recycled to the reactor to the mass flow of the aqueous recycle stream recycled to the reactor is less than or equal to 2.

Process to produce acetic acid with recycle of water

A process directed to acetic acid production comprising providing a feed stream comprising methyl iodide, water, acetic acid, methyl acetate, and at least one PRC to a distillation column comprising a distillation zone and a bottom sump zone and distilling the feed stream at a pressure and a temperature sufficient to produce an overhead stream comprising methyl iodide and at least one PRC, and a residuum stream flowing from the bottom sump zone comprising water and greater than or equal to about 0.11 weight percent HI is disclosed herein.

Process to control HI concentration in residuum stream

Process for producing acetic acid are disclosed in which a vapor sidedraw is withdrawn from the second column in the primary purification train. The vapor sidedraw comprises acetic acid and lithium-containing compounds at a concentration of no more than 100 wppb. A bottoms stream that is enriched in lithium-containing compounds, such as lithium acetate, or lithium acetate dihydrate, is also withdrawn from the second column. Advantageously, the vapor sidedraw, or a condensed portion thereof, is directly fed to a metal-exchanged ion exchange resin having acid cation exchange sites to produce purified acetic acid. This prevents displacement of the metals in the ion exchange resin.

Processes for producing acetic acid

Processes for purifying acetic acid by distilling a process in a column in which acetic anhydride is formed in the lower portion of the column. The product stream withdrawn from the column comprises acetic acid, water at a concentration of no more than 0.2 wt. %, and acetic anhydride at a concentration of no more than 600 wppm. The process further comprises hydrating the acetic anhydride in the product stream to form a purified acetic acid product comprising acetic anhydride at a concentration of no more than 50 wppm.

Processes for purifying acetic and hydrating anhydride

A process for producing acetic acid comprising the steps of carbonylating methanol in a reaction medium to form a crude acetic acid product; conveying the crude acetic acid product to a flash vessel at a flash flow rate; flashing the crude acetic acid product to form a first vapor stream comprising acetic acid and a liquid residue stream comprising metal catalyst and halide salt; separating the flashed vapor stream to form a second vapor stream comprising methyl iodide a sidedraw comprising purified acetic acid and water, and a liquid residue stream. The process further comprises the steps of condensing at least a portion of the second vapor stream to form at least one liquid phase and refluxing to the light ends column at least a portion of the at least one liquid phase at a reflux rate. The reflux rate is adjusted based on changes in the flash flow rate.

Processes for producing acetic acid with decanter control

A process for producing acetic acid is disclosed in which the water concentration is controlled in the side stream between two columns. Controlling the water concentration by the liquid light phase recycle controls the hydrogen iodide concentration in the side stream to be less than 50 wppm.

Process for producing acetic acid

A process for producing acetic acid comprising the steps of reacting carbon monoxide and at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative in a first reactor under conditions effective to produce a crude acetic acid product; separating the crude acetic acid product into at least one derivative stream, at least one of the at least one derivative stream comprising residual carbon monoxide; and reacting at least a portion of the residual carbon monoxide with at least one of methanol and a methanol derivative over a metal catalyst in a second reactor to produce additional acetic acid. Preferably the second reactor is a homogeneous reactor and a reactor carbon monoxide partial pressure is less than 1.05 MPa.

Production of acetic acid with high conversion rate

Growing community of inventors

Houston, TX, United States of America

Ronald David Shaver