The Lummus Company

Lummus Crest, Inc.

Vincent A Strangio

Herbert D Riegel

Morgan C Sze

Roger P Van Driesen

Andrei Rhoe

Robert J Feldman

Joseph F Puzio

Harvey D Schindler

Chiung-Yuan Huang

The severity of a visbreaking operation is increased by treating product to remove a heavier phase in an amount of less than 15 weight percent and recycling treated product.

High severity visbreaking with recycle

The severity of a visbreaking operation is increased by treating product to remove a heavier phase in an amount of less than 15 weight percent and provide a remaining product having a Shell Hot Filtration number of less than 0.25.

High severity visbreaking

Hydrogen chloride is recovered from a mixture with propylene by extractive distillation with an inert extraction solvent to minimize reaction between hydrogen chloride and propylene during such distillation. The temperature and pressure conditions are coordinated with the extraction solvent and amount thereof to prevent the presence of hydrogen chloride in a liquid state. The process is particularly suitable for recovering hydrogen chloride in the production of allyl chloride by thermal chlorination of propylene.

Hydrogen chloride-propylene separation

A compound is chlorinated with chlorine to produce chlorinated product and hydrogen chloride byproduct. Recovered hydrogen chloride byproduct is contacted with oxygen and a molten salt mixture containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal, such as cuprous and cupric chloride, to effect recovery of the hydrogen chloride by enriching the molten salt content of the higher valent chloride. The molten salt, enriched in higher valent chloride, is then dechlorinated by use of a stripping gas, preferably hydrogen chloride, to produce a gaseous effluent containing stripped chlorine and the stripping gas, which is then recycled to the chlorination step. The presence of stripping gas, as a diluent, improves the chlorination operation.

Production of chlorinated compounds by use of molten salts

Hydrogen chloride and oxygen are contacted with a molten mixture of cuprous and cupric chloride in a oxidation reaction zone to enrich the cupric chloride content of the melt, and the melt introduced into a dechlorination zone wherein gaseous chlorine is removed from the melt. The oxidation reactor is operated at a pressure higher than the dechlorination reactor, and molten salt circulation rates are controlled in a manner such that the cupric chloride content and temperature of the salt introduced into the dechlorination reaction zone are higher than the cupric chloride concentration and temperature of the melt introduced into the oxidation reactor.

Production of chlorine

Process for producing a chlorinated hydrocarbon by the use of molten salts containing a multivalent metal chloride in its higher and lower valence states by oxidation of the molten salt in an oxidation reactor and use of the oxidized salt in an oxychlorination/chlorination reactor for production of chlorinated hydrocarbons wherein gaseous effluent withdrawn from the oxidation reactor is employed as lift gas for lifting the molten salts for introduction into the upper portions of the oxidation reactor and oxychlorination/chlorination reactor, with the work being provided by expansion of the oxidizer effluent. In this manner, the need for a lift gas compressor is eliminated.

Molten salt lift gas system for production of chlorinated hydrocarbons

Hexachlorocyclopentadiene is produced by contacting pentane, pentene, cyclopentane or cyclopentene or chlorinated derivatives thereof with a molten salt mixture of cuprous and cupric chloride. Cyclopentadiene can also be employed as an initial feed, in which case the cyclopentadiene is initially chlorinated to effect saturation thereof, followed by contacting of the chloro substituted cyclopentane with a molten salt mixture of cuprous and cupric chloride to produce hexachlorocyclopentadiene.

Production of hexachlorocyclopentadiene

A molten mixture containing the higher and lower valent forms of a multivalent metal chloride; in particular, cuprous and cupric chloride, is contacted with oxygen, and aqueous hydrogen chloride recycle, to recover the chlorine values by generation of the higher valent metal chloride and also effect oxidation of the melt by production of the oxychloride. The gas withdrawn from the oxidation contains hydrogen chloride, chlorine and water vapor, with the hydrogen chloride being separate from the gas as aqueous hydrogen chloride and recycle to the oxidation. The chlorine and water vapor in the gas are contacted with activated carbon to produce hydrogen chloride, which is separated as aqueous hydrogen chloride and recycled to the oxidation.

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Glen Ridge, NJ, United States of America

Vincent A Strangio