Uop Lcc

William A Leet

Santi Kulprathipanja

Charles P Luebke

Terry L Marker

Joseph Edward Zimmermann

Ronald J Vangelisti

Bipin Virpal Vora

John D Sherman

Richard R Willis

Bruce A Briggs

Benjamin C Spehlmann

For the removal of trace quantities of iodine-containing contaminants from corrosive liquid feed streams (e.g. commercial acetic acid), an adsorbent with distinct advantages over prior-art materials is provided. The overall treatment method involves the use of a suitable zeolite having a silica to alumina molar ratio from about 5 to less than 15 that has been cation-exchanged with an iodine-reactive metal. This inorganic adsorbent may be used in unbound form, or it can be bound with a substantially insoluble porous inorganic refractory metal oxide binder. Reactivation and regeneration techniques, which are generally incompatible with prior-art adsorbent materials, are also disclosed. In general, it is advantageous to pretreat the feed streams to remove the most easily separable contaminants (e.g. iodine, hydrogen iodide, and metal cations) and thereby reduce the iodine compound loading and detrimental effects of metals on the adsorbent. Thus, the expensive iodine reactive metal (e.g. silver) used in the adsorbent preparation is judiciously used for the removal of trace quantities of iodine-containing species (e.g. alkyl iodides) that are not readily separable by other means.

Combination pretreatment/adsorption for treating a liquid stream contaminated with an iodine-containing compound

A process for the production of a carboxylic acid in the presence of solid catalyst particles that employs a flash step with a liquid wash is disclosed. This process helps prevent the buildup of deposits of solid catalyst particles, attrited solid catalyst particles, and heavy by-products in the flash zone. This invention is useful for the production of carboxylic acids, especially acetic acid.

Carbonylation process using a flash step with washing

A process for the production of a carboxylic acid in the presence of solid catalyst particles that uses the exothermic heat of reaction with high efficiency in recovering the carboxylic acid product is disclosed. This process uses indirect heat exchange to transfer the heat of reaction to another stream, without the need for an additional heat transfer fluid such as steam. This invention is especially applicable to the production of acetic acid.

Carbonylation process with integrated heat exchange

A process to separate diisopropyl ether from a mixture of diisopropyl ether, isopropyl alcohol, and water has been developed. The process begins with distilling, in a distillation column, the mixture into a bottoms stream containing water and isopropyl alcohol and an overhead stream containing an azeotrope of diisopropyl ether, isopropyl alcohol, and water. The overhead stream is condensed and allowed to form an aqueous phase enriched in isopropyl alcohol and water and an organic phase enriched in diisopropyl ether with some water and isopropyl alcohol in an overhead receiver. The aqueous phase is recycled to the distillation column. The organic phase is passed to a drier to form a bottoms product stream containing at least 99 mole percent diisopropyl ether and a drier overhead stream containing an azeotrope of diisopropyl ether, isopropyl alcohol, and water. The drier overhead stream is condensed and introduced to the overhead receiver described earlier to combine with the condensed overhead stream from the distillation column and to form the aqueous phase and an organic phase discussed above. The bottoms diisopropyl ether product stream from the drier is collected.

Process for separating diisopropyl ether from isopropyl alcohol and water

A process for regenerating solid treating particles contained in at least two vessels of a swing bed regeneration operation where the effluent of the regeneration operation is maintained regeneration fluid-free and at a substantially constant flowrate has been developed. The swing bed regeneration operation involves an on-line vessel treating process fluid and an off-line vessel for regeneration. At least a portion of the process fluid effluent from the vessel on-line is conducted to a displacement surge drum. The flowrate of the process fluid effluent from the displacement surge drum is controlled so that downstream units receive a substantially constant flowrate. A portion of the process fluid effluent from the displacement surge drum is periodically used to displace regeneration fluid from the vessel off-line, and during the displacement, the flowrate of effluent from the displacement surge drum is increased to provide additional flow to the vessel off-line without having to reduce the flow to downstream units.

Process for performing a swing bed regeneration operation with minimal

A solution is provided to the long sought inorganic alternative to resin based adsorbents for iodide clean-up service for corrosive organic liquid. The solution involves the use of a solid inorganic adsorbent comprising a combination of a silica-rich zeolite molecular sieve, which has been cation-exchanged with an iodide-reactive metal selected from silver, mercury, copper, lead, thallium, palladium or mixtures thereof, with a substantially insoluble, porous refractory inorganic oxide binder. Reactivation and regeneration technique for the spent inorganic adsorbent are also covered.

Method for treating an organic liquid contaminated with an iodide

A process for regenerating solid treating particles contained in at least two vessels of a swing bed regeneration operation where the effluent of the regeneration operation is maintained regeneration fluid-free and at a substantially constant flowrate has been developed. The swing bed regeneration operation involves at least two vessels, one of which is on-line treating process fluid, and the other is off-line for regeneration. At least a portion of the process fluid effluent from the vessel on-line is conducted to a displacement surge drum. The flowrate of the process fluid effluent from the displacement surge drum is controlled so that downstream units receive a substantially constant flowrate. A portion of the process fluid effluent from the displacement surge drum or a portion of the process fluid effluent from the vessel on-line is periodically used to displace regeneration fluid from the vessel off-line, and during the displacement, the flowrate of effluent from the displacement surge drum is increased to provide additional flow to the vessel off-line without having to reduce the flow to downstream units. In a specific embodiment, both process fluid and regeneration fluid are conducted to the displacement surge drum. The process fluid is used as described above. The regeneration fluid is used to displace process fluid from the vessel that is off-line prior to regeneration of the treating particles. In another specific embodiment, the treating particles are rinsed prior to regeneration to desorb and recycle any adsorbed reactant.

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Naperville, IL, United States of America

William A Leet