Efficient fixed bed platform for production of ethylene oxide by partial oxidation of ethylene using catalyst of wide selectivity

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10010856-B2
Application number	US-201514726685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 1, 2015
Priority date	Mar 17, 2010
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

At least one method to efficiently produce alkylene oxide from partial oxidation of hydrocarbons using a high efficiency heterogeneous catalyst in a fixed bed enclosed within a reaction vessel, and a reaction vessel constructed to facilitate the same.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A reaction vessel comprising:
a shell having an inflow and an outflow; the shell with a length and width to define a reactor vessel interior volume;
a catalyst bed shape defined by the reactor vessel interior volume, the catalyst bed having a length such that an out flow area and an in flow area over the catalyst bed length in between the reactor outflow and inflow has an absolute ratio difference less than or equal to about 1.3 meter anywhere in the catalyst bed; the catalyst bed defining a process side and having a length less than the shell length and a volume less than the shell volume; a fixed bed outlet zone-configured for a gaseous flow through the catalyst bed to a heat exchanger to quench the reactions; the catalyst bed forming a process side of the reaction vessel; and
at least one coolant enclosure heat exchanger in the shell interior volume to define a coolant side of the reaction vessel, the coolant enclosure having an outside surface and an inside surface to define a heat transfer fluid flow path, the coolant enclosure outside surface in contact with the catalyst, the coolant enclosure having an inlet and an outlet for flow of heat transfer fluid through the coolant enclosure inner surface; the coolant enclosure further defining a cooling surface area with the coolant flow cross sectional area ratio to a cooling surface area being much less than 1.

2. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the coolant enclosure cross sectional area is at least equivalent to one tube having an inner diameter of 0.2 inches to 1.8 inches.

3. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the absolute ratio difference is 0.8 meter to 1.3 meter.

4. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein a flow direction of gaseous alkylene through the catalyst bed is parallel to a direction of the heat transfer fluid flow through the coolant enclosure.

5. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst is comprised of pills having a diffusion length of 0.02 inches to 0.07 inches.

6. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst bed length is larger than 8.5 meter.

7. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst bed length is larger than 9.5 meter.

8. The reaction vessel of claim 1 , wherein the catalyst bed has a porosity in a range of from about 0.38 to about 0.49.

Assignees

• Dow Chemical Co
• Dow Technology Investments Llc

Inventors

• Tirtowidjojo Max M
• Zarth Christina
• Sen Subrata
• Patil Pramod D

Classifications

• B01J8/0285

  Heating or cooling the reactor (for tubular reactors in furnaces B01J8/062) · CPC title

• B01J2208/00141

  Coils · CPC title

• C07D301/08

  in the gaseous phase · CPC title

• C07D301/10

  with catalysts containing silver or gold · CPC title

• B01J19/24 Primary

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title