Process for vinyl chloride manufacture from ethane and ethylene with immediate HCl recovery from reactor effluent

US6797845B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• DOW GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES LLC · US

Inventors

• Daniel A. Hickman · Midland, US
• John P. Henley · Midland, US
• Mark Jones · Littleton, US
• Kenric A. Marshall · Lake Jackson, US
• Daniel J. Reed · Corvallis, US
• William D. Clarke · Florence, US
• Michael M. Olken · Midland, US
• Lee E. Walko · Lake Jackson, US

Key dates

• Filing date: May 14, 2002
• Grant date: Sep 28, 2004
• Expiry date: May 18, 2022

Classification

• Technology area (CPC B): Performing Operations; Transporting
• CPC primary: B01J37/036
• WIPO field: Organic fine chemistry
• WIPO sector: Chemistry

Abstract

A process for producing vinyl chloride monomer where significant quantities of both ethane and ethylene in input streams to the affiliated reactor where hydrogen chloride in the reactor effluent is essentially fully recovered from the reactor effluent in the first unit operation after the ethane/ethylene-to-vinyl reaction step or stage. Steps are presented of oxydehydro-chlorination catalytic reaction of ethane, ethylene, hydrogen chloride, oxygen, and chlorine; quenching the reactor effluent stream to provide a raw product stream having essentially no hydrogen chloride; and separation of the raw product stream into a vinyl chloride monomer product stream and into a lights stream; and recycling the lights steam to the reactor.