Highly efficient neopentyl glycol preparation method and device therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9914682-B2
Application number	US-201514906155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 25, 2014
Publication date	Mar 13, 2018
Grant date	Mar 13, 2018

Abstract

Disclosed are a highly efficient neopentyl glycol preparation method and a device therefor. The method includes adding a hydroxypivaldehyde solution and hydrogen to a hydrogenation reactor that includes a hydrogenation catalyst. The hydroxypivaldehyde solution includes 6 to 30% by weight of hydroxypivaldehyde, 35 to 70% by weight of neopentyl glycol, 10 to 30% by weight of alcohol, and 10 to 30% by weight of water.
The neopentyl glycol preparation method does not require separate heating in a section of a feed vessel to an inlet of a hydrogenation reactor unlike conventional technologies to save energy, and, at the same time, by-products with a high boiling point are not generated in the section to prevent poisoning of a hydrogenation catalyst in a reactor due to the by-products with a high boiling point and increase a hydrogenation yield, and a device therefor can be provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of preparing neopentyl glycol, wherein the method comprises:
preparing a hydroxypivaldehyde solution in a feed vessel; and
supplying hydrogen and the hydroxypivaldehyde solution to a hydrogenation reactor comprising a hydrogenation catalyst,
wherein the hydroxypivaldehyde solution is not heated during transport of the hydroxypivaldehyde solution from a section of the feed vessel to an inlet of the hydrogenation reactor,
wherein the temperature of the feed vessel is maintained at a range of 60° C. to 75° C.,
wherein the hydroxypivaldehyde solution comprises 8 to 20% by weight of hydroxypivaldehyde, 40 to 52% by weight of neopentyl glycol, 15 to 25% by weight of alcohol, and 12 to 30% by weight of water, wherein a weight ratio of the hydroxypivaldehyde to the neopentyl glycol is 1:2 to 1:6.5, and
wherein the hydrogenation catalyst is of the formula (CuO) x (BaO) y (SiO) z , where x:y:z=10 to 50:1 to 10:40 to 90% by weight, and wherein x+y is 20 to 50% by weight, based on 100% by weight of the total of x, y and z.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of the neopentyl glycol discharged from the hydrogenation reactor is added to the hydroxypivaldehyde solution.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein interior temperature of the hydrogenation reactor is 100 to 250° C.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hydrogenation reactor is a fixed bed reactor.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a neopentyl glycol solution discharged from the hydrogenation reactor comprises 6.0% by weight or less of neopentyl glycol hydroxypivalate (HPNE).

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hydroxypivaldehyde solution is mixed with hydrogen gas before being supplied to the hydrogenation reactor.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein a portion of a neopentyl glycol solution discharged from the hydrogenation reactor is recycled in the hydrogenation reactor.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the hydroxypivaldehyde solution is heated up to hydrogenation temperature immediately before being fed into the hydrogenation reactor.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Eom Sung Shik
• Ko Dong Hyun
• Kim Mi Young
• Jung Da Won
• Kim Tae Yun
• Choi min ji

Classifications

• C07C29/141 Primary

  with hydrogen or hydrogen-containing gases · CPC title

• C07C31/20

  Dihydroxylic alcohols · CPC title

• B01J2219/00103

  in a heat exchanger separate from the reactor · CPC title

• B01J21/08

  Silica · CPC title

• B01J19/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title