Patent ID: 6342199
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: B01J,C07C,Y02P

Abstract:
A process for conducting an equilibrium chemical reaction including a volatile reactant in a loop reactor, said loop reactor comprising:a reactor vessel; at least one loop connected to said reactor vessel by an outlet and an inlet; wherein said loop comprises means for pumping a fluid reaction material, at least one heat exchanger, optionally means for feeding said fluid reaction material into said reactor vessel; and a closed gas loop separately connected to the gas space of the reactor vessel above said fluid reaction material; wherein said gas loop has at least one means for feeding at least one volatile material into said gas loop, for withdrawing at least one volatile material from the gas loop and for treating at least one volatile material circulating in the gas loop; said process comprising the steps of: circulating or treating or concomitantly circulating and treating an inert gas as one of the at least one volatile material in said gas loop of said loop reactor; feeding said at least one volatile material from the gas loop into the reactor vessel of said loop reactor; removing said at least one volatile material from said reactor vessel of said loop reactor into said gas loop; and repeating the sequence of circulating/treating, feeding and removing said at least one volatile material, thereby influencing the equilibrium of said chemical reaction; wherein a volatile reactant as another volatile material to be fed to or removed from the loop reactor is supplied or removed exclusively via the gas loop.