The Boc Group, Inc.

Virginia A Malik

Ramakrishnan Ramachandran

Ramachandran Krish Krishnamurthy

Donald P Satchell, Jr

Donald L MacLean

Alan G Stokley

Frank R Fitch

Arthur I Shirley

Martin Bulow

Martin B&uuml;low

Dongmin Shen

Raghu K Menon

Chang Jie Guo

Ethene is separated from a gas mixture containing ethane by a pressure swing adsorption process carried out at a temperature in the range of about 50 to about 200&deg; C., wherein the adsorption step of the process is conducted by passing the gas mixture through an adsorption zone containing type A zeolite whose exchangeable cations are preferably made up of at least about 60 but not more than 75% sodium ions and more than 25 and up to about 40 percent potassium ions.

Separation of alkenes and alkanes

A hydrocarbon stream is cracked to produce a hot gaseous stream which is compressed and cooled to condense almost all of the hydrocarbons contained in the stream. A noncondensed stream remaining after the condensation step, comprised predominantly of hydrogen and C.sub.1 to C.sub.3 hydrocarbons, is subjected to pressure swing adsorption or temperature swing adsorption at an adsorption temperature of about 0.degree. to about 250.degree. C. in a bed of adsorbent which selectively adsorbs ethene and propene, thereby adsorbing substantially all of the ethene and propene from the gas stream. The ethene and/or propene is recovered upon bed regeneration. Higher alkenes are separated from alkanes by various methods.

Hydrocarbon alkylation process

Polyolefins are produced by a process which includes the steps of: polymerizing an olefin in a reaction zone; removing unreacted olefin from the polymer in a flash chamber and recycling the unreacted olefin to the reaction zone; stripping unreacted olefin from the polymer by passing a stripping gas through the polymer in a stripping zone; passing the unreacted olefin from the stripping zone at superatmospheric pressure through an adsorbent which selectively adsorbs olefins; depressurizing the adsorbent to produce a substantially pure olefin and recycling the substantially pure olefin to the reaction zone; purging the adsorbent bed with a nonadsorbable gas to remove residual unreacted olefin from the adsorbent; and passing the purge gas-unreacted olefin to the stripping zone to be used as stripping gas.

Method for producing polymers

An improved process is provided for the production of oxides from hydrocarbons by reaction with oxygen, air or a gas enriched in oxygen relative to air, preferably the latter in the presence of an oxidation catalyst. An alkane, e.g. propane, is converted to an alkene in a catalytic dehydrogenator. The product stream is introduced into an oxidation reactor. The product formed therein is recovered in a conventional quench tower. The gaseous effluent from the quench tower is treated in a separator to produce an adsorbed stream, an oxygen-enriched stream, a waste stream and, if desired, a hydrogen-enriched stream. The oxygen-enriched stream may be recycled to the oxidation reactor depending on the nitrogen content thereof. The adsorbed stream plus at least a portion of the hydrogen-enriched stream is introduced into a selective oxidation unit to remove the remaining oxygen and then recycled to the dehydrogenator. The remainder of the hydrogen-enriched stream, if any, may be taken as product or vented. The dehydrogenator may be a multistage dehydrogenator wherein the product stream is withdrawn from a reactor other than the first and last reactors, the recycle streams are introduced into the next sequential reactor and the effluent from the last reactor is introduced into the first reactor, a reactor having a similar alkane composition or directly into the oxidation reactor.

Process for the production of oxides

Highly purified gaseous hydrogen and liquid carbon dioxide are produced from a steam reformer/shift converter by passing the effluent from the latter through a multibed hydrogen PSA unit followed by an uncoupled carbon dioxide PSA unit. The carbon dioxide PSA unit produces a hydrogen-rich stream which is recycled to the feed to the steam reformer, a carbon dioxide-rich recycle stream which is recycled to the carbon dioxide PSA unit feed and a carbon dioxide-rich product stream which is introduced under pressure to a liquifier. A waste stream from the liquifier is recycled to the carbon dioxide PSA unit feed. A portion of the carbon dioxide-rich product stream is withdrawn from the compressor at a stage such that its pressure is higher than that of the carbon dioxide PSA unit and returned thereto as a cocurrent purge preceding bed regeneration to obtain product.

Hydrogen and carbon dioxide coproduction apparatus

Highly purified gaseous hydrogen and liquid carbon dioxide are produced from a steam reformer/shift converter by passing the effluent from the latter through a multibed hydrogen PSA unit followed by an uncoupled carbon dioxide PSA unit. The carbon dioxide PSA unit produces a hydrogen-rich stream which is recycled to the feed to the steam reformer, a carbon dioxide-rich recycle stream which is recycled to the carbon dioxide PSA unit feed and a carbon dioxide-rich product stream which is introduced under pressure to a liquifier. A waste stream from the liquifier is recylced to the carbon dioxide PSA unit feed. A portion of the carbon dioxide-rich product stream is withdrawn from the compressor at a stage such that its pressure is higher than that of the carbon dioxide PSA unit and returned thereto as a cocurrent purge preceding bed regeneration to obtain product.

Hydrogen and carbon dioxide coproduction

An improved process is provided for the production of nitriles from hydrocarbons by reaction with oxygen, air or a gas enriched in oxygen relative to air, preferably the latter, and ammonia in the presence of an ammoxidation catalyst. An alkane, e.g., propane, is converted to an alkene in a catalytic dehydrogenator. The product stream is introduced into an ammoxidation reactor. The product formed therein is recovered in a conventional quench tower. The gaseous effluent from the quench tower is treated in a PSA unit comprising at least two pairs of adsorptive beds. The first bed forms a gas stream containing the unreacted alkane and alkene as well as a minor amount, typically 1-2 percent by volume, of oxygen and a vent stream containing oxygen, nitrogen if present, and hydrogen. The vent stream is introduced into the second adsorptive bed to thereby form an oxygen-containing stream which also contains, nitrogen, if present, and a hydrogen-enriched stream. The oxygen-containing stream may be recycled to the ammoxidation reactor depending on the nitrogen content thereof. The alkene/alkane stream plus at least a portion of the hydrogen stream is introduced into a selective oxidation unit to remove the remaining oxygen and then recycled to the dehydrogenator. The remainer of the hydrogen-enriched stream, if any, may be taken as product or vented. The dehydrogenator may be a multistage dehydrogenator wherein the product stream is withdrawn from a reactor other than the first and last reactors, the recycle streams are introduced into the next sequential reactor and the effluent from the last reactor is introduced into the first reactor, a reactor having a similar alkane composition or directly into the admmoxidation/oxidation reactor.

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Linden, NJ, United States of America

Virginia A Malik