Fouling-resistant distillation column and process for the manufacture of compounds

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10851041-B2
Application number	US-201414901444-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2014
Priority date	Jun 28, 2013
Publication date	Dec 1, 2020
Grant date	Dec 1, 2020

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a fouling-resistant system for the manufacture of a compound by distillation, the system including a reactant heating zone; a distillation column in fluid communication with the reactant heating zone wherein the distillation column comprises a plurality of distillation trays for removing by-products from the reactants, and wherein at least 20% of the plurality of distillation trays are baffle trays arranged in a staggered configuration; where each tray contacts an opposing portion of an inner wall of the distillation column from a portion contacted by a tray located above the tray and below the tray; and wherein the baffle trays are disposed in a lower portion of the distillation column.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for the manufacture of a compound comprising:
a reactant heating zone; and
a distillation column in fluid communication with the reactant heating zone;
wherein
the distillation column comprises a plurality of distillation trays for removing by-products from the compound, the plurality of distillation trays comprising a plurality of sieve trays and a plurality of baffle trays;
at least 20% of the plurality of distillation trays are baffle trays arranged in a staggered configuration,
each baffle tray contacts a different portion of an inner wall of the distillation column from the baffle trays located immediately above and/or below each baffle tray, and
all of the baffle trays are disposed in the lower half of the distillation column,
wherein any baffle tray occupies 55 to 90% of the cross-sectional area of the distillation column at the location of the baffle tray in the distillation column.

2. The system of claim 1 , where an edge or a portion of an edge of a baffle tray comprises a particle-retaining configuration.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reactant heating zone is a combined heating/reaction zone integrated with the distillation column.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the reactant heating zone is a reactor in fluid communication with the distillation column.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein a differential pressure in the distillation column is less than 100 dP units.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein a differential pressure in the distillation column is 6 dP units to 100 dP units.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the baffle trays are shower deck trays.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the baffle trays are shower deck trays selected form the group consisting of rod-type baffle trays, plate-type baffle trays, comb-type baffle trays, and a combination thereof.

9. A process for the manufacture of a compound, the process comprising:
heating a reactant in a heating zone to generate a vapor phase;
distilling the vapor phase in a distillation column, the distillation column being in fluid communication with the heating zone; wherein
the distillation column comprises a plurality of distillation trays for removing by-products from the reactant and the compound, the plurality of distillation trays comprising a plurality of sieve trays and a plurality of baffle trays;
at least 20% of the plurality of distillation trays are baffle trays arranged in a staggered configuration,
each baffle tray contacts a different portion of an inner wall of the distillation column from the baffle trays located immediately above and/or below each baffle tray, and
all of the baffle trays are disposed in the lower half of the distillation column;
separating and removing a crude compound, water of reaction, unreacted raw materials, and a by-product from the distillation column; and
recovering the compound from the distillation column,
wherein any baffle tray occupies 55 to 90% of the cross-sectional area of the distillation column at the location of the baffle tray in the distillation column.

10. The process of claim 9 , wherein the differential pressure in the distillation column is less than 100 dP units.

Assignees

• Dow Global Technologies Llc

Inventors

• Holden Bruce S
• Wilchek Jr John W

Classifications

• B01D3/24 Primary

  with sloping plates or elements mounted stepwise · CPC title

• C07C67/54 Primary

  by distillation · CPC title

• B01D3/22

  with horizontal sieve plates or grids; Construction of sieve plates or grids · CPC title

• B01D3/009

  in combination with chemical reactions · CPC title