Process, a system, and an apparatus for catalytic conversion of an oxidative dehydrogenation product to an alcohol

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11807589-B2
Application number	US-201917419382-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2019
Priority date	Jan 4, 2019
Publication date	Nov 7, 2023
Grant date	Nov 7, 2023

Abstract

A process, a system, and an apparatus are provided for converting a lower alkane to an alkene. Oxygen and a lower alkane are provided to an ODH reactor. At least a portion of the lower alkane is converted to an alkene and an ODH stream comprising the alkene, an oxygenate, water, and carbon monoxide is produced. The ODH stream is provided to a water gas shift/hydrogenation (WGS/H) reactor including a WGS/H catalyst. The ODH stream is reacted within the WGS/H reactor and hydrogen and carbon dioxide are generated from the carbon monoxide and water. At least a portion of the oxygenate and hydrogen are converted to an alcohol. Additionally, the alcohol may be dehydrated to form additional alkene and water.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for converting a lower alkane to an alkene comprising:
providing an input stream comprising oxygen and the lower alkane to an oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reactor;
converting at least a portion of the lower alkane to the alkene in the ODH reactor and producing an ODH outlet stream comprising the alkene, an oxygenate, water, and carbon monoxide;
providing at least a portion of the ODH outlet stream to a water gas shift/hydrogenation (WGS/H) reactor, the WGS/H reactor comprising a WGS/H catalyst;
converting within the WGS/H reactor at least a portion of the carbon monoxide and at least a portion of the water to carbon dioxide and hydrogen; and
converting within the WGS/H reactor at least a portion of the oxygenate and at least a portion of the hydrogen to an alcohol and producing an alcohol outlet stream comprising at least a substantial portion of the alcohol.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the WGS/H reactor at a temperature of 100° C. to 500° C.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising maintaining the WGS/H reactor at a pressure of 100 kPag to 500 kPag.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ODH outlet stream is provided to the WGS/H reactor at a temperature of from 50° C. to 400° C.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing the alcohol outlet stream to a dehydration reactor and converting at least a portion of the alcohol in the alcohol outlet stream to a second alkene.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second alkene comprises ethylene.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising producing olefin derivatives from at least one of the alkene and the second alkene.

8. An apparatus for oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of a lower alkane to an alkene, the apparatus comprising:
an ODH reactor comprising an ODH inlet and an ODH outlet, the ODH inlet suitable for transporting an ODH inlet stream comprising the lower alkane and oxygen into the ODH reactor, the ODH outlet suitable for transporting an ODH outlet stream comprising the alkene, an oxygenate, water, and carbon monoxide; and
a water gas shift/hydrogenation (WGS/H) reactor comprising an WGS/H inlet and a WGS/H outlet, the WGS/H inlet in fluid communication with the ODH outlet to receive the ODH outlet stream, the WGS/H reactor including a WGS/H catalyst and suitable to generate, in situ, hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the carbon monoxide and water of the ODH outlet stream, and the WGS/H outlet suitable for transporting an alcohol outlet stream comprising an alcohol.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the WGS/H catalyst is non-acidic.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the WGS/H catalyst comprises at least one of copper, iron, platinum, tin, and chromium.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ODH outlet stream further comprises at least one of an unreacted alkane, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ODH outlet stream comprises at least 5% water by weight.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ODH outlet stream comprises at least 30% water by weight.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ODH outlet stream comprises at least 2% carbon monoxide by weight.

15. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein an oxygenate outlet stream separated from the ODH outlet stream comprises at least 5% oxygenate by weight.

16. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the ODH outlet stream is substantially free of hydrogen.

17. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the oxygenate comprises at least one of acetic acid, acrylic acid, maleic acid, and maleic anhydride.

18. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the alkane comprises ethane and the alkene comprises ethylene.

19. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the alcohol comprises ethanol.

20. The apparatus of claim 8 , further comprising a dehydration reactor comprising a dehydration inlet and a dehydration outlet, the dehydration inlet in fluid communication with the WGS/H outlet to receive the alcohol outlet stream, and the dehydration outlet suitable for transporting a second alkene stream comprising a second alkene.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the second alkene comprises ethylene.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 , further comprising a polymerization reactor suitable to make olefin derivatives from the alkene, the second alkene or both the alkene and the second alkene.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 , wherein the olefin derivatives comprise at least one of polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene oxide, propylene oxide, polyethylene oxide, polypropylene oxide, thermoplastic elastomers, and thermoplastic olefins.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 , wherein the polyethylene comprise at least one of homopolymers of ethylene, copolymers of ethylene and α-olefins, high density polyethylene (HDPE), medium density polyethylene (MDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), and very low density polyethylene (VLDPE).

25. A system for oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of a lower alkane to an alkene, the system comprising:
an ODH reactor configured to receive an input stream comprising oxygen and the lower alkane, the ODH reactor configured to produce an ODH outlet stream comprising an alkene, an oxygenate, water and carbon monoxide; and
a water gas shift/hydrogenation (WGS/H) reactor configured to receive the ODH outlet stream, the WGS/H reactor including a WGS/H catalyst and configured to generate hydrogen and carbon dioxide from the carbon monoxide and water of the ODH outlet stream and convert at least a portion of the oxygenate and hydrogen to an alcohol.

26. The system of claim 25 , wherein the oxygenate comprises at least one of acetic acid, acrylic acid, maleic acid, and maleic anhydride.

27. The system of claim 25 , wherein the alkane comprises ethane and the alkene comprises ethylene.

28. The system of claim 25 , wherein the alcohol comprises ethanol.

29. The system of claim 25 , further comprising a dehydration reactor configured to receive the alcohol from the WGS/H reactor and convert at least a portion of the alcohol in the alcohol outlet stream to a second alkene.

30. The system of claim 29 , wherein the second alkene comprises ethylene.

Assignees

• Nova Chem Int Sa

Inventors

• Goodarznia Shahin
• Simanzhenkov Vasily
• Olayiwola Bolaji
• Styles Yipei

Classifications

• C07C1/24 Primary

  by elimination of water · CPC title

• C07C5/48 Primary

  with oxygen as an acceptor · CPC title

• C07C29/147

  of carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof · CPC title