Patent ID: 11932615
Assignee: nan
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C  Y | IPC B  C

Claim 5:
6. The method as claimed in claim 1, for recovering ethylene oxide from a vaporous reaction stream containing ethylene oxide, CO2, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and organic acidic compounds comprising: absorption of ethylene oxide and a portion of said CO2, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and organic acidic compounds in water to form an absorption stream; contacting said absorption stream with steam to strip ethylene oxide, CO2, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and organic acidic compounds from said absorption stream to form a stripper overhead vapor stream; condensing water, formaldehyde, a portion of the ethylene oxide, acetaldehyde and organic acidic compounds; and recovering a vaporous ethylene oxide product stream; and contacting the vaporous ethylene oxide product stream in an EO absorber where it is counter currently washed with recirculated EO-free process water to absorb the ethylene oxide to produce EO containing absorbate: wherein the improvement comprises sending a portion comprising 10-90% of the dilute EO containing absorbate from the EO absorber directly to a EO reabsorber/residual absorber where said dilute EO containing absorbate absorbs additional EO from an EO stripper overhead vapor to produce an EO/water solution of the desired high EO concentration suitable for use as feed to an EO Purification column or a glycol production reaction system, reducing the quantity of stripping steam required in the EO stripper in direct proportion to the amount of EO absorbate that bypasses the EO Stripper.