Patent ID: 11931725
Assignee: SCIENTIFIC DESIGN COMPANY, INC.
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC B  C | IPC B  C

Claim 0:
1. A process to be used during initial start-up of an epoxidation process, the process comprising:
initiating an epoxidation reaction by reacting a feed gas composition containing ethylene and oxygen in the presence of a catalyst bed containing a high selectivity silver-based ethylene oxide catalyst at a first temperature of about 180° C. to about 210° C.;
adding, after confirmation of ethylene oxide production, to the feed gas composition about 0.05 ppm to 2 ppm of a moderator;
increasing, after adding the moderator, the first temperature to a second temperature of about 240° C. to about 270° C. over a time period of about 6 hours to about 60 hours; and
maintaining the second temperature for a time period of about 50 hours to about 150 hour, wherein during the increasing the first temperature to the second temperature and the maintaining the second temperature, heat release from the catalyst bed is controlled to be less than 2000 kJ/Kgcat·hr.