Column for thermal treatment of a mixture of compounds having a tendency to polymerization

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447417-B2
Application number	US-202218284313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 17, 2022
Priority date	Mar 31, 2021
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

The present invention related to a column for the thermal treatment of a mixture of compounds having a tendency to polymerization, as well as a thermal separating process using the column. The column includes a mass transfer tray having a rising tube with an inlet opening below the tray and an outlet opening above the tray. The rising tube further includes a lateral opening above and close to the upper surface of the mass transfer tray. The rising tube forms a fountain spray of atomized liquid from the mixture of compounds above the tray that enter the rising tube through the lateral opening. The fountain is sprayed to a spot of the inner surface of the column where polymerization is likely to occur.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A column for a thermal treatment of a mixture of compounds having a tendency to polymerization, wherein the column comprises
a cylindrical, vertical column body which forms a column cavity,
at least one mass transfer tray which is disposed in the column cavity and comprises passage orifices, and at least one opening which is surrounded by a rim of the mass transfer tray,
wherein
the mass transfer tray comprises at least one rising tube which is connected to the rim of the mass transfer tray in a gas-tight manner and which comprises
an inlet opening which is located at or below the at least one mass transfer tray, and
an outlet opening which is located above the at least one mass transfer tray, and
at least one lateral opening which is located above the mass transfer tray in a vertical direction close to an upper surface of the mass transfer tray, said rising tube is adapted to form a fountain by atomization of a liquid fraction of the mixture of compounds from the mass transfer tray that enters through at least one lateral opening into the rising tube by a rise of a gas phase of the mixture of compounds flowing from the inlet opening through the rising tube to the outlet opening where the fountain is sprayed into a part of the column located above the mass transfer tray to a spot of the inner surface of the column where polymerization is likely to occur, wherein a pressure difference of trays is exploited as driving force for the spray generation.

2. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the distance from the center of the lateral opening to the mass transfer tray to the distance from the center of the lateral opening to the outlet opening is in a range of 0.001 to 0.1.

3. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the distance from the center of the lateral opening to the mass transfer tray is in a range of 1 to 45 mm.

4. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the inner diameter of the lateral opening to the inner diameter of the rising tube is in a range of 0.01 to 0.8.

5. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the rising tube comprises at least one lateral tube which surrounds the lateral opening in a gas-tight manner and protrudes into the rising tube in a radial direction of the rising tube.

6. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral tube has a cylindrical or conical shape tapering to the center of the rising tube.

7. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the lateral tube protruding into the rising tube has a beveled ending, wherein the part of the lateral tube projecting furthest into the rising tube in a radial direction of the rising tube has a smaller vertical distance to the mass transfer tray than the part of the lateral tube projecting the least far into the rising tube in a radial direction of the rising tube.

8. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the ratio of the sum of the horizontal cross-sectional areas enclosed by all rising tubes which are located on the same mass transfer tray to the cross-sectional area of the column is in a range of 0.00001 to 0.1.

9. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the rising tube comprises an upper kinked part whose axis together with an axis of a lower part of the rising tube forms an angle (a) in a range of 90° to 170°.

10. The column according to claim 1 , wherein the spot of the inner surface of the column where polymerization is likely to occur is selected from sharp angles of surfaces of support constructions, sharp angles of the bottom of downcomers, manways and/or handholes.

11. A thermal separating process between at least one gas phase of a mixture of compounds ascending within a column according to claim 1 and at least one liquid fraction of the mixture of compounds descending within the column ( 1 ).

12. The process according to claim 11 , wherein a hold-up liquid fraction of the mixture of compounds which is located on the mass transfer tray is atomized forming the fountain at the outlet opening of the rising tube, for directly spraying of the spot of the inner surface of the column where polymerization is likely to occur, by the fountain.

13. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the level f the hold-up liquid fraction of the mixture of compounds which is located on the mass transfer tray is adjusted such that the center of the lateral opening of the rising tube is at least partially immersed.

14. The process according to claim 11 , wherein the number of rising tubes and the length and inner diameter of the rising tube or rising tubes is adjusted such that during process mode the pressure drop between the part of the column located below the mass transfer tray and the part of the column located above the mass transfer tray is at least 1 mbar.

15. A column for a thermal treatment of a mixture of compounds having a tendency to polymerization, wherein the column comprises
a cylindrical, vertical column body which forms a column cavity,
a mass transfer tray which is disposed in the column cavity and comprises passage orifices, and
at least one opening which is surrounded by a rim of the mass transfer tray,
at least one further lower mass transfer tray, wherein the further lower mass transfer tray is located below the mass transfer tray,
wherein
the mass transfer tray comprises at least one rising tube which is connected to the rim of
the mass transfer tray in a gas-tight manner and which comprises
an inlet opening which is located at or below the mass transfer tray, and
an outlet opening which is located above the mass transfer tray,
said rising tube is adapted to form a fountain atomization of a liquid fraction of the mixture of compounds from the further lower mass transfer tray by a rise of a gas phase of the mixture of compounds flowing from the inlet opening through the rising tube to the outlet opening where the fountain is sprayed into a part of the column located above the mass transfer tray, wherein a pressure difference of trays is exploited as driving force for the spray generation, and wherein
the column cavity is formed so that there is a straight path from the outlet opening of the rising tube to a spot of the inner surface of the column where polymerization is likely to occur for directly spraying of the spot by the fountain.

Assignees

• Basf Se

Inventors

• Hammon Ulrich
• Schulz Lukas

Classifications

• C07B63/00

  Purification; Separation (separation of optically-active compounds C07B57/00); Stabilisation; Use of additives · CPC title

• C07C51/44

  by distillation · CPC title

• B01D3/4211

  of columns · CPC title

• B01D3/328 Primary

  Sealing between the column and the trays · CPC title

• B01D3/20 Primary

  Bubble caps; Risers for vapour; Discharge pipes for liquid · CPC title