Exxon Research and Engineering Company

Other

Stephen S Kasegrande

Cyrus A Irani

Charles C Cozewith

Frederic Leder

Daniel J McHugh

A process is disclosed for recovering polymer from a solution of the polymer in a solvent by high temperature phase separation in which low molecular weight hydrocarbon is added to the solution, the solution and the added hydrocarbon are subjected to a temperature and pressure so that one liquid phase is formed and the pressure is adjusted to form two phases, namely, a polymer-lean liquid phase and a polymer-rich liquid phase. The polymer-rich liquid phase is separated from the polymer-lean liquid phase, and the polymer is then recovered from the polymer-rich liquid phase.

Method for high temperature phase separation of solutions containing

A process is disclosed for recovering polymer from a solution of the polymer in a solvent by high temperature phase separation in which a low molecular weight hydrocarbon is added to the solution, the solution and the added hydrocarbon are subjected to a temperature and pressure so that one liquid phase is formed and the pressure is reduced to form three phases, namely, a vapor phase rich in the hydrocarbon, a polymer-lean liquid phase and a polymer-rich liquid phase. The polymer-rich liquid phase is separated from the vapor phase and the polymer-lean liquid phase, and the polymer is then recovered from the polymer-rich liquid phase.

Petroleum fractions may be separated into aromatic rich and paraffinic-rich hydrocarbon streams by the use of methanol/water mixtures having at least 10% water by volume. The paraffinic-rich stream is recovered as raffinate and the aromatic-rich as extract. After the extraction step additional water is added to the extract and raffinate streams where it acts as an anti-solvent to effect separation of the hydrocarbon from the solvent. The water and methanol are then separated for example by flash distillation or by using super critical CO.sub.2 as an extraction solvent.

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Stephen S Kasegrande