Celanese Gmbh

William P McMillan

Carl David Murphy

H Robert Gerberich

Charles C Hobbs, Jr

Michael L Junker

In a process for oxidizing methanol to formaldehyde which comprises passing the methanol with molecular oxygen through two sequential silver-based catalysts, with the second of said catalysts being a bed of particulate silver such as, specifically, silver crystals, the process efficiency, and especially the efficiency of the reaction taking place in the second catalyst bed, is improved by controlling (a) the ratio of formaldehyde to methanol in the reactant gases entering the second catalyst bed and (b) the specific reaction rate in said second bed. The specific reaction rate is defined as the quantity of methanol converted in said second bed per unit time per unit of cross-sectional area of the bed.

Process for converting methanol to formaldehyde

In catalytically oxidizing methanol in the vapor phase according to already-known processes for the production of formaldehyde, the hot formaldehyde-containing gaseous effluent of the catalytic converter is rapidly cooled by being passed through the tubes of a heat exchanger which are filled with balls composed of a solid which is substantially inert toward formaldehyde. As compared with a similar cooling system in which the tubes are empty or in which enhancement of heat transfer is attempted by using metal heat-transfer enhancement devices such as twisted metal ribbons, the present method affords reduced post-reaction decomposition of formaldehyde while at the same time allowing use of a relatively high temperature on the shell side of the heat exchanger whereby it becomes possible to raise steam at a pressure higher than that characteristic of the prior art.

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Corpus Christi, TX, United States of America

William P McMillan