Process and reactor system for oxidizing cycloalkylbenzene

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10214486-B2
Application number	US-201615576919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2016
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

Disclosed are processes and systems for oxidizing cycloalkylbenzene such as cyclohexylbenzene to make an oxygenate such as a hydroperoxide thereof. A liquid distributor having multiple liquid ingress ports is used for supplying a cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid into an oxidation reactor in the form of liquid streams forming part of the reaction medium. A gas distributor distributing an O 2 -containing gas into the reaction medium in the form of gas streams is preferably located below the liquid distributor. Preferably the gas bubbles upwards in the reaction medium. The agitation and mixing provided by the liquid streams, gas streams/bubbles result in sufficient homogeneity of cycloalkylbenzene concentration, cycloalkylbenzene hydroperoxide concentration, dissolved oxygen concentration, and temperature in the liquid phase.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process for oxidizing cycloalkylbenzene in an oxidation reactor comprising a reactor body and a liquid distributor comprising liquid ingress ports, the liquid distributor housed inside the reactor body, the process comprising:
(I) supplying a cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid through the liquid distributor into the reactor body; and
(II) contacting the cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid with an O 2 -containing gas in the reactor body;
wherein the liquid distributor is arranged such that during normal operation of the oxidation reactor: (a) the liquid reaction medium inside the reactor body above the liquid distributor is agitated at least partly by the flowing liquid supplied from the liquid distributor; and (b) the liquid reaction medium above the liquid distributor has a concentration variation of the cycloalkylbenzene not higher than 20%.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the cycloalkylbenzene is cyclohexylbenzene.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid distributor is located at a distance from the bottom of the reactor body in a range from 5 centimeters to 500 centimeters.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the O 2 -containing gas is supplied into the reactor body through a gas distributor.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the gas distributor is located below the liquid distributor.

6. The process of claim 4 , comprising a step of continuing to flow the cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid through the liquid distributor into the reactor body where gas supply through the gas distributor into the reactor body is reduced to a level at most 50% of the level during normal operation.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid phase of the reaction medium inside the reactor body at least 10 centimeters above the liquid distributor has an O 2 concentration variation during normal operation of the oxidation reactor not higher than 30%.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid phase of the reaction medium inside the reactor body at least 10 centimeters above the liquid distributor has a cycloalkylbenzene hydroperoxide concentration variation not higher than 20%.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the temperature in the liquid reaction medium inside the reactor body at least 10 centimeters above the liquid distributor has a variation not higher than 10° C.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid distributor has at least one liquid ingress port ejecting a liquid jet upwards at least partly toward the top of the reactor body.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid distributor has at least one liquid ingress port ejecting a liquid jet away from the center of the reactor body.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the liquid distributor has at least one port ejecting a liquid jet toward the center of the reactor body.

13. The process of claim 4 , wherein the gas distributor comprises at least one gas ingress port ejecting a gas stream downwards toward the bottom of the reactor body.

14. The process of claim 1 , further comprising drawing an outgoing stream of the liquid reaction medium from the reactor body, and cooling and recycling a portion of the outgoing stream into the reactor body.

15. The process of claim 1 , wherein the cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid is a mixture of fresh cycloalkylbenzene and the portion of the outgoing stream recycled to the reactor body.

16. A reactor system for oxidizing cycloalkylbenzene to produce cycloalkylbenzene hydroperoxide, comprising:
(A) a reactor body configured to allow a liquid reaction medium comprising cycloalkylbenzene to contact a O 2 -containing gas;
(B) a liquid distributor housed inside the reactor body configured to supply a cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid into the reactor body to form part of the reaction medium, the liquid distributor comprising liquid ingress ports;
(C) a gas distributor housed inside the reactor body configured to supply the O 2 -containing gas into the reactor body; and
(D) an outlet attached to the reactor body configured to draw an outgoing stream of the liquid reaction medium from inside the reactor body.

17. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the liquid distributor is located at a distance from the bottom of the reactor body in a range from 5 centimeters to 500 centimeters.

18. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the gas distributor is located at a distance from the bottom of the reactor body in a range from 0 centimeters to 450 centimeters.

19. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the gas distributor is located below the liquid distributor.

20. The reactor system of claim 16 , further comprising:
(E) a fresh feed supply conduit configured to supply a fresh cycloalkylbenzene stream to the liquid distributor.

21. The reactor system of claim 16 , further comprising:
(F) a recycle conduit configured to supply at least a portion of the outgoing stream to the liquid distributor.

22. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the fresh supply conduit and the recycle conduit converge to form a unitary conduit connected to the liquid distributor.

23. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the liquid distributor is configured to produce multiple liquid jets of the cycloalkylbenzene-containing liquid through multiple liquid ingress ports projecting in different directions.

24. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein at least one of the liquid jets projects away from the center of the reactor body, and at least one of the liquid jets projects toward the center of the reactor body.

25. The reactor system of claim 16 , wherein the cycloalkylbenzene is cyclohexylbenzene.

Assignees

• Exxonmobil Chemical Patents Inc

Inventors

• Igci Yesim
• Patel Bryan A
• Chang Min

Classifications

• B01J4/004

  Sparger-type elements · CPC title

• B01J8/22

  gas being introduced into the liquid · CPC title

• C07C2601/14

  The ring being saturated · CPC title

• C07C407/00 Primary

  Preparation of peroxy compounds · CPC title

• B01J10/00

  Chemical processes in general for reacting liquid with gaseous media other than in the presence of solid particles, or apparatus specially adapted therefor (B01J19/08 takes precedence; separation, e.g. distillation, also combined with chemical reactions B01D, {e.g. B01D3/009}) · CPC title