Flow reactor vessels and reactor systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10654022-B2
Application number	US-201916267604-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2019
Priority date	Feb 4, 2013
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

The present invention discloses high pressure flow reactor vessels and associated systems. Also disclosed are processes for producing thiol compounds and sulfide compounds utilizing these flow reactor vessels.

First claim

We claim:

1. A process for forming a sulfide compound, the process comprising:
(i) introducing a fluid comprising a mercaptan compound and a compound having a carbon-carbon double bond into a flow reactor vessel, the flow reactor vessel comprising:
(a) a reaction chamber comprising a reactor wall, an inlet for the fluid, and an outlet;
(b) a tube positioned within the reaction chamber, a flow path for the fluid including a region between an outer surface of the tube and an inner surface of the reactor wall; and
(c) an electromagnetic radiation source enclosed within the tube, the electromagnetic radiation source configured to deliver electromagnetic radiation into the fluid in the flow path;
wherein an average linear distance between the outer surface of the tube and the inner surface of the reactor wall is less than or equal to 10 cm;

(ii) exposing the fluid to the electromagnetic radiation within the reaction chamber to form the sulfide compound; and
(iii) discharging a composition comprising the sulfide compound from the reaction chamber via the outlet;
wherein the fluid in the flow path has a volumetric flow rate from 12 to 120 gallons/min and a Reynolds number of at least 10,000.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the electromagnetic radiation is ultraviolet light; and
the fluid makes more than one pass through the flow reactor vessel.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid in the flow path has a Reynolds number from 10,000 to 250,000; and
step (ii) is conducted at a reaction pressure in a range from 1.72 to 13.79 MPa.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fluid in step (i) comprises a molar ratio of SH of the mercaptan compound to carbon-carbon double bonds of the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond in a range from 10:1 to 1:10.

5. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mercaptan compound comprises methyl mercaptan, ethyl mercaptan, n-propyl mercaptan, n-butyl mercaptan, t-butyl mercaptan, n-pentyl mercaptan, phenyl mercaptan, or any combination thereof.

6. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mercaptan compound comprises mercaptomethanol, 2-mercaptoethanol, 3-mercaptopropanol, 4-mercaptobutanol, 5-mercaptopentanol, 6-mercaptohexanol, or any combination thereof.

7. The process of claim 1 , wherein the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond comprises ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, 2-butene, 3-methyl-1-butene, isobutylene, 1-pentene, 2-pentene, 3-methyl-1-pentene, 4-methyl-1-pentene, 1-hexene, 2-hexene, 3-ethyl-1-hexene, 1-heptene, 2-heptene, 3-heptene, 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene, styrene, or any combination thereof.

8. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the mercaptan compound has from 1 to 10 SH groups; and
the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond has from 1 to 10 double bonds.

9. The process of claim 1 , wherein the mercaptan compound comprises an alkyl mercaptan.

10. The process of claim 1 , wherein the fluid in step (i) further comprises:
a phosphite compound at a molar ratio of the phosphite compound to carbon-carbon double bonds of the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond in a range from 0.006:1 to 0.05:1; and/or
a photoinitiator at a weight percentage in a range from 0.05 to 5 wt. %, based on the weight of the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond.

11. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the average linear distance between the outer surface of the tube and the inner surface of the reactor wall is greater than 10 times the electromagnetic radiation penetration depth into the fluid in the flow path; and
the tube is a quartz tube having a wall thickness from 3.5 mm to 10 mm.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the mercaptan compound has 1 SH group; and
the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond has 1 double bond.

13. The process of claim 12 , wherein the electromagnetic radiation is ultraviolet light.

14. The process of claim 12 , wherein the fluid makes more than one pass through the flow reactor vessel.

15. The process of claim 12 , wherein the fluid in the flow path has a Reynolds number from 10,000 to 250,000.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the Reynolds number is from 25,000 to 200,000.

17. The process of claim 12 , wherein the mercaptan compound is an alkyl mercaptan.

18. The process of claim 12 , wherein the fluid in step (i) comprises a molar ratio of SH of the mercaptan compound to carbon-carbon double bonds of the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond in a range from 1.5:1 to 1:1.5.

19. The process of claim 1 , wherein:
the fluid in the flow path has a Reynolds number from 25,000 to 200,000; and
the compound having a carbon-carbon double bond is a hydrocarbon with 1 double bond.

Assignees

• Chevron Phillips Chemical Co Lp

Inventors

• Netemeyer Eric J
• Matson Michael S
• Thomas Greg L
• Solaas Dale M
• Tully Christopher R
• Figard Joe E

Classifications

• C07C319/04

  by addition of hydrogen sulfide or its salts to unsaturated compounds · CPC title

• B01J2219/0883

  Gas-gas · CPC title

• B01J19/2415 Primary

  Tubular reactors · CPC title

• B01J19/0073

  Sealings (sealings for pressure vessels per se F16J15/00) · CPC title

• B01J2219/00162

  controlling the pressure · CPC title