Reactive distillation process and apparatus for carrying it out

Abstract

A reactive distillation process which makes it possible, in the same enclosure, to carry out a catalytic reaction and isolate by distillation the sought product, in which the liquid phase containing the reagents passes from bottom to top through at least one catalyst bed, without the vapor phase of the distillation traversing said catalyst beds. These operating characteristics occur in a reactive distillation zone (C) including an alternation of distillation cells (D) having one or more trays (5) and reaction cells (R) containing the catalyst beds and designed in such a way that the liquid phase flowing from a distillation tray (5) flows above an overflow ( 7) through a downpipe (6) and approaches the base of the catalyst bed (8), traverses the latter in a downward flow and is then allowed to flow over a distillation tray (5) of the following distillation cell (D), so that the distillation vapor circulating from bottom to top through the distillation trays (5) does not traverse said reaction cells (R). Each reaction cell (R) is physically separated from the adjacent distillation cell or cells (D). The process can in particular be applied to the synthesis reactions of tertiary alkyl ethers by the addition of aliphatic monoalcohols (methanol, ethanol) on isoolefins (isobutene, isopentene).