Patent ID: 7431804
Filing Date: 2008-10-07
Classification: B01D,B01J,C07C,Y02P,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method for distillation or reactive distillation of a mixture containing at least one toxic component, said method comprising (A) feeding said mixture in liquid form into a column containing a structured packing having at least one packing layer, wherein said at least one packing layer has an internal geometry varying over its height, and wherein said at least one packing layer has a lower region and an upper region, and (B) operating the column in such a manner that in the lower region of said at least one packing layer a bubbling layer having a predominantly disperse gas phase is established while simultaneously in the upper region of said at least one packing layer a film flow of the liquid having a predominantly continuous gas phase is established in a targeted manner, and wherein said at least one packing layer has a resistance to flow which varies over its height, the lower region of said at least one packing layer having a greater resistance to flow than the upper region of said at least one packing layer, and said at least one packing layer has mutually contacting flat packing elements, said flat packing elements comprising at least one of folded metal sheets, expanded metals, wire fabrics or knitted meshes, wherein a fold line is varied over the height of said at least one packing layer such that said fold line has a greater angle relative to the longitudinal axis of said at least one packing layer in the lower region of said at least one packing layer than in the upper region of said at least one packing layer, and wherein the fold line has a curved course such that an angle between tangents to the fold line and the longitudinal axis of said at least one packing layer decreases from about 45 to 75° in the lower region of said at least one packing layer and to 10 to 45° in the upper region of said at least one packing layer.