Abstract:
The present invention is a process for the production of styrene monomer from ethylbenzene comprising the steps of: a) catalytically dehydrogenating said ethylbenzene in the presence of steam thereby catalytically producing a dehydrogenation effluent gas containing essentially unreacted ethylbenzene, styrene monomer, hydrogen, steam and divinylbenzene; b) quenching said effluent gas with an aqueous reflux in at least a quenching column to cool said effluent gas, and thereby obtaining a gas at the overhead and in the bottom a liquid stream warmer than the aqueous reflux; c) condensing said overhead gas thereby producing a liquid organic phase, an aqueous phase and a gaseous phase; d) using a portion or the whole of said aqueous phase of step c) as reflux for said step b) of quenching; e) sending to a decanter the liquid stream obtained at step b) to recover an aqueous phase and an organic phase.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for removing oxygenated contaminants and water from an hydrocarbon stream comprising: introducing the contaminated hydrocarbon stream in a gaseous phase in an absorption zone, contacting said hydrocarbon stream in said absorption zone at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars with an alcohol capable to absorb water and oxygenated contaminants at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and water content and an absorbent bottoms stream comprising the alcohol, hydrocarbons and having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants and water content, sending the overhead of the absorption zone to a wash column (referred to as the high pressure water wash column) at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars, essentially washed with water at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and an aqueous bottoms stream having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants content. Advantageously the process is further comprising: sending the bottoms stream from the absorption zone to a distillation column (referred to as the alcohol distillation column) operating at a pressure of less than 3 bars absolute and advantageously at a pressure in the range 1-3 bars absolute at conditions effective to produce an overhead comprising essentially oxygenated contaminants and hydrocarbons, optionally treated to recover the hydrocarbons, an alcohol bottoms stream comprising water and essentially free of hydrocarbons and oxygenated contaminants, sending said alcohol bottoms to the process which has produced the hydrocarbon stream comprising oxygenated contaminants and water to be purified.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for removing oxygenated contaminants and water from an hydrocarbon stream comprising: introducing the contaminated hydrocarbon stream in a gaseous phase in an absorption zone, contacting said hydrocarbon stream in said absorption zone at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars with an alcohol capable to absorb water and oxygenated contaminants at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and water content and an absorbent bottoms stream comprising the alcohol, hydrocarbons and having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants and water content, sending the overhead of the absorption zone to a wash column (referred to as the high pressure water wash column) at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars, essentially washed with water at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and an aqueous bottoms stream having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants content. Advantageously the process is further comprising: sending the bottoms stream from the absorption zone to a distillation column (referred to as the alcohol distillation column) operating at a pressure of less than 3 bars absolute and advantageously at a pressure in the range 1-3 bars absolute at conditions effective to produce an overhead comprising essentially oxygenated contaminants and hydrocarbons, optionally treated to recover the hydrocarbons, an alcohol bottoms stream comprising water and essentially free of hydrocarbons and oxygenated contaminants, sending said alcohol bottoms to the process which has produced the hydrocarbon stream comprising oxygenated contaminants and water to be purified.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for removing oxygenated contaminants and water from an hydrocarbon stream comprising: introducing the contaminated hydrocarbon stream in a gaseous phase in an absorption zone, contacting said hydrocarbon stream in said absorption zone with an absorbent capable to absorb water and oxygenated contaminants at conditions effective to produce, an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and water content and an absorbent bottoms stream comprising the absorbent, hydrocarbons and having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants and water content, introducing the above absorbent bottoms stream in a stripping zone at conditions effective to produce, an absorbent bottoms stream essentially free of hydrocarbons, oxygenated contaminants and water and an overhead stream comprising essentially hydrocarbons, water and the oxygenated contaminants, recycling the absorbent bottoms stream of the stripping zone to the absorption zone, optionally fractionating the overhead stream from the stripping zone to recover the hydrocarbons, optionally sending the overhead of the absorption zone to a caustic wash to remove the acidic components and recovering an hydrocarbon stream essentially free of water and oxygenated contaminants.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for the production of styrene monomer from ethylbenzene comprising the steps of: a) catalytically dehydrogenating said ethylbenzene in the presence of steam thereby catalytically producing a dehydrogenation effluent gas containing essentially unreacted ethylbenzene, styrene monomer, hydrogen, steam and divinylbenzene; b) quenching said effluent gas with an aqueous reflux in at least a quenching column to cool said effluent gas, and thereby obtaining a gas at the overhead and in the bottom a liquid stream warmer than the aqueous reflux; c) condensing said overhead gas thereby producing a liquid organic phase, an aqueous phase and a gaseous phase; d) using a portion or the whole of said aqueous phase of step c) as reflux for said step b) of quenching; e) sending to a decanter the liquid stream obtained at step b) to recover an aqueous phase and an organic phase.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for the production of styrene monomer from ethylbenzene comprising the steps of: a) catalytically dehydrogenating said ethylbenzene in the presence of steam thereby catalytically producing a dehydrogenation effluent gas containing essentially unreacted ethylbenzene, styrene monomer, hydrogen, steam and divinylbenzene; b) quenching said effluent gas with an aqueous reflux in at least a quenching column to cool said effluent gas, and thereby obtaining a gas at the overhead and in the bottom a liquid stream warmer than the aqueous reflux;c) condensing said overhead gas thereby producing a liquid organic phase, an aqueous phase and a gaseous phase;d) using a portion or the whole of said aqueous phase of step c) as reflux for said step b) of quenching;e) sending to a decanter the liquid stream obtained at step b) to recover an aqueous phase and an organic phase.
Abstract:
The present invention is a method of reducing the formation of fouling deposits occurring in a caustic scrubber used to remove acid gases comprising: a) providing a caustic scrubber fed with an alkaline aqueous solution comprising essentially one or more of NaOH, KOH or LiOH, b) providing an olefin-containing hydrocarbon stream, contaminated with oxygenated compounds and acid gases, and said oxygenated compounds are capable to make polymeric fouling deposits in the presence of the alkaline solution of the scrubber, c) sending the above hydrocarbon stream to the caustic scrubber to recover an olefin-containing hydrocarbon stream essentially free of acid gases, wherein, d) an efficient amount of a solvent capable to reduce the formation of fouling deposits is introduced in the caustic scrubber and/or in the alkaline solution fed to the scrubber, e) the liquid outlet of the scrubber is sent to means to separate the solvent from the alkaline solution, f) optionally an additive capable to reduce the conversion of the oxygenated compounds to polymeric fouling deposits in the presence of the alkaline solution of the scrubber is introduced in the caustic scrubber and/or in the alkaline solution fed to the scrubber. In an embodiment the solvent separated from the alkaline solution at step e) is treated to eliminate heavies and recycled at step d). Said treatment can be a stripping or a distillation.In an embodiment the means of step e) to separate the solvent from the alkaline solution are located in the bottom of the scrubber.In an embodiment the caustic scrubber has several stages with various caustic concentrations. The solvent injection and removal can be located at each stage.
Abstract:
The present invention is a process for removing oxygenated contaminants and water from an hydrocarbon stream comprising: introducing the contaminated hydrocarbon stream in a gaseous phase in an absorption zone, contacting said hydrocarbon stream in said absorption zone at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars with an alcohol capable to absorb water and oxygenated contaminants at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and water content and an absorbent bottoms stream comprising the alcohol, hydrocarbons and having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants and water content, sending the overhead of the absorption zone to a wash column (referred to as the high pressure water wash column) at a pressure of at least 5 bars, advantageously in the range 5 to 40 bars, essentially washed with water at conditions effective to produce an overhead hydrocarbon stream having a reduced oxygenated contaminants and an aqueous bottoms stream having an enhanced oxygenated contaminants content. Advantageously the process is further comprising: sending the bottoms stream from the absorption zone to a distillation column (referred to as the alcohol distillation column) operating at a pressure of less than 3 bars absolute and advantageously at a pressure in the range 1-3 bars absolute at conditions effective to produce an overhead comprising essentially oxygenated contaminants and hydrocarbons, optionally treated to recover the hydrocarbons, an alcohol bottoms stream comprising water and essentially free of hydrocarbons and oxygenated contaminants, sending said alcohol bottoms to the process which has produced the hydrocarbon stream comprising oxygenated contaminants and water to be purified.
Abstract:
The present invention is a method of reducing the formation of fouling deposits occurring in a caustic scrubber used to remove acid gases comprising: a) providing a caustic scrubber fed with an alkaline aqueous solution comprising essentially one or more of NaOH, KOH or LiOH, b) providing an olefin-containing hydrocarbon stream, contaminated with oxygenated compounds and acid gases, and said oxygenated compounds are capable to make polymeric fouling deposits in the presence of the alkaline solution of the scrubber, c) sending the above hydrocarbon stream to the caustic scrubber to recover an olefin-containing hydrocarbon stream essentially free of acid gases, wherein, d) an efficient amount of a solvent capable to reduce the formation of fouling deposits is introduced in the caustic scrubber and/or in the alkaline solution fed to the scrubber, e) the liquid outlet of the scrubber is sent to means to separate the solvent from the alkaline solution, and wherein the caustic scrubber has several stages with various caustic concentrations, and wherein the solvent injection and removal can be located at each stage.
Abstract:
A process to monitor unwanted formation of a polymer having internal mechanical strain is disclosed. The acoustic emission generated by polymer formation is detected by one or more acoustic sensors attached to a piece of equipment.