CHLORINATION OF HYDROCARBONS

Abstract: This invention relates to the chlorination of liquid hydrocarbons, particularly paraffin hydrocarbons, in a batch process. The process involves reacting a hydrocarbon charge with chlorine in a column reactor and recovering chlorinated product when the chlorination has reached a predetermined level. Inhibitors of chlorine free radical formation such as oxygen are preferably stripped from the hydrocarbon charge before it is introduced into the reactor.

Description: "Chlorimation of Hydrocarbons" Tis invention to the chlorimation of hydrocarbons, particularly paraffin hydrocarbons. The chlorimation of paraffin hydrocarbons is generally carried out batchwise in the liquid phase in agitated reactor vessels. The reaction which is initiated by free radicals may be chemically, thermally, or photochemically catalysed. The agitation is generally mechanical, and vessels of a relatively large volume are employed. These known batch processes have a number of disadvantages including low efficiency of mass tranfer of chlorine gas into the liquid phase, and long periods of initiation of the chlorination reaction. They accordingly suffer from low throughputs per unit of reactor volume and high chlorine losses. Another disadvantage is that to obtain a stable chlorinated paraffin hydrocarbon of high quality, a straigh chain paraffin feedstock of very high purity must be used. It is often difficult to obtain such a feedstock. According to the present invention there is provided a batch process for chlorinating a liquid hydrocarbon comprising reacting a charge of the hydrocarbon with chlorine in a column reactor, and discharging the chlorinated charge when a predetermined degree of chlorination has been attained. Carrying out the chlorination in a column reactor produces a greatly improved mass transfer of chloring gas into a liquid phase, resulting in nearly complete reacting of the chlorine gas and highly efficient use of the reactor volume. Column reactors are well-knom in the art. Such reactors are vertically located and have reactor volumes wherein the highly is at least four times the longest transverse dimension. generally the diameter at such reactors are generally cylindrical. The chlorination will continue until the hydrocarbon charge has been chlorinated to a predetermined extent. The extent of chlorination will way according to the type and nature of chlorinated hydrocarbon which is desired. The chlorination procceds through free radical initiation in the conventional manner. The hydrocarbon charge may be continuously circulated through the column while chlorine gas is continuously fed thereto. Preferably the charge and the chlorine gas are caused to flow countercurrently, the charge downwardly and the gas upwardly through the reactor; the charge is bled frown a low point of the reactor and recirculated to a high point of the reactor, and residual reaction cases are removed from high point of tie reactor. Inhibitors of chlorine free radical fonation, e.g. oxygen, are preferably stripped from rhe hydrocarbon charge before the charge is introduced iniín the column reactor. Stripping n!ay be- eff".cted with hydrogen chloride g:-'s. The stripping is preferably effected with residual reaction gases which are removed from the reactor These reaction gases are typically flowed countercurrently to the chare in a second column reactor in a similar manner to the charge/chlorine gas flow described above. The use of the reaction gases for stripping has a number of advantages. First, stripping of the inhibitors is effectively achieved. Second, any chlorine in the reaction gases reacts with the charge so that partial chlorination of the charge is achieved in the stripping stage. This chlori nation assists in maintaining the charge at an elevated temperature. When there is thermal initiationof the reaction, then the charge is preferably introduced into the column reactor at a temperature exceeding 500C. Tk2 charge in these circumstances is typically introduced at a temperature in the range 700C to gOoc, When there is photochemical initiation, lower charge temperatures achieve very satisfactory results. The reaction gases typically contain 0 to 15% chlorine, with the balance being mainly hydrogen chloride. temperature excceding 80 C, preferably in the range 110 C to 130 C Since the chlorimation reaction is exothermic, cooling will generally be required to maintain the temperature in the preferred range. The hdrocarbon charge may be a liquid hydrocarbon such as toluen or a paraffin hydrocarbon or a solid hydrocarbon suspension in a suitable liquid e.g. solid polyethylens in carbon tetrachloride. Thus, the term "liquid hydrocarbon" as used herein and in the claims covers not only pure liquids but also suspensions. The paraffin hydrocarbon charge may be, for example, one consisting of a mixture of essentially straigh-chain paraffin having an average chain length between 9 and 26 carbon atoms. Chlorination of paraffin hydrocarbon will generally be continued until chlorinated paraffins having a chlorine content up to 76% by weight are produced. The process in its preferred form may be carried out in apparatus com- prising a stripping vessel, a column reactor, means for feeding a hydrocarbon charge from the stripping vessel to the column reactor, means for continuously recirculating the hydrocarbon charge through the colu m reactor, means for feeding chlorine gas to the column iactor, means for discharging chlorinated hydrocarbon charge from the reactor means for bleeding residual reaction gases from the reactor and feeding them into the stripping vessel, means for bleeding residual reaction gases froo tie stripping vessel, and means for regulating the temperatures in the stripping vessel and column reactor. The stripping vessel may be a column reactor. The column reactors may be of any suitable material known in the art but are preferably of glass. The dimensions of the column reactor for the chlorination reaction n!ay be selected according to the particular application, the relationship between height and 'longest transverse dimension preferably being selected to provide for the optimum gas/liquid contact in the colum. The ratio of reactor volume height to longest transverse dimension will be as described above. The temperature-regulating means may be heat-exchange coils or like heat-exchange systems. The invention is discussed further with reference to the accompanying flowsheet which illustrates one embodiment of the invention. Referring to the flowsheet, a system for the batch chlorination of a liquid hydrocarbon comprises a stripping column reactor 2 and a pair of chlorination columns 4,0. The stripping column reactor 2 has a gas outlet pipe 8 at iis Lou, a hydrocarbon inlet pipe 10 and a gas inlet pipe 12 near its foot, and at its foot a hydrocarbon outlet pipe 14 connected to a pump 16 connected to a recirculation pipe 18 which leads into the stripping column reactor 2 near its to. A hydrocarbo discharge pipe 20 leads from the recirculation pipe 18 and branches into two separate hydrocarbon feed pipes 22,24 leading into the lower ends of the column reactors 4,6. Each column reactor 4,6 has a gas inlet pipe 26,28 near its lower erd, and a gas outlet pipe 30,32 at its top, the gas outlet pipes 30,32 leading into the gas inlet pipe 12 of the stropping column reactor 2. Each column reactor 4,6 also has at its foot a hydrocarbon outlet pipe 34,36 connected to a pump 38,40 connected to a recirculation pipe 42,44 which leads into the column reactor 4,6 near its top. A hydrocarbon discharge pipe 46,48 leads from each recirculation pipe 42,44 into a common discharge pipe 50. The stripping column reactor 2 and the chlorination column reactors 4,6 are made of glass. The system operates as follows. Hydrocarbon feedstock is charged to the stripping column reactor 2 through the inlet pipe 10 to fill the reactor 2 Stripping is effected by feeding residual reaction gases from the chlorination reactors 4,6 into the stripping reactor 2 through the gas inlet pipe 12. The hydrocarbon feedstock in the reactor 2 is withdrawn from the reactor 2 through the outlet pipe 14, and recirculated to tile reactor 2 through the recirculation pipe 18 by the pump 16. Tl;c,' gases fed to the reactor 2 are withdrawn through tie gas outlet pipe 9 The stripping gas is largely hydrogen chloride, but does contain some chlorine. As the stripping gas passes up the reactor 2 it removes tracks of fr@@tical inhibitors such as dissolved oxygen from the hydrocarbon @@ the residual chlorine reacts with the hydrocarbon feedstock. the temperature in the stripping column 2 is maintained in the range 70 -90 C by a cooling coil 13. Cooling can also be achieved by less @@ s@id@ has excenger in the pipe 18. The chlorination rectors 4,6 are charged with predetermined amounts of stripped hydrocarbon feedstock by withdrawing these from the stipping column reactor 2 along the discharge pipe 20 and feeding them to the reactor columns 4,6 through the inlet pipes 22,24. Chlorine gas is fed to tile rectors 4,6 through the gas inlet pipes 26,28 and the hydrocarbon charge in eac. reactor 4 ,C is circulatcd through each reactor 4,6 from top to bottom by means of the pumps 38,40, the hydrocarbons being withdrawn from the bottom of each column 4,6 through the outlet pipes 34,36 and returned to the columns near their tops through the recirculation pipes 42,44. The chlorine gc.s as 'it passes up each column 4,6 reacts with the hydro- carbons and when it rcacl.:cs the top of the column 4,6 residual gas is led away through the gas outlet pipes 30,32 and fed to the stripping column reactor 2 through the gas pipe 12. The residual reaction gas typically contains 0 to 15% chlorine, the balance being mainly hydrogen chloride. Each column reactor 4,6 is maintained during tie reaction at a temperature in the range 110 -130 C by automatically controlled external cooling means 41,43 located in pipes 42,44, repspectively. The hydrocarbons are continuously recirculated through the reactor 4,6 until a desired degree of chlorination has been attainde. Chlorinated product is then discharged from the reactor 4,6 through the discharge pipes 46,48 and led away in the common discharge pipe 50 to a storage In the case of paraffin hydrocarbons, in particular, the process of the invention has been found consistently to provide a relatively stable high quality chlorinated product, even from relatively poor quality feedstock. Using mixtures of essentially straight-chain paraffins having an average chain length between 9 and 26 carbon atoms, stab' chloroparaffins having chlorine contents of up to 70% by weight may be produced, even from raw material vii-ill a higher content of brauched-chain paraffinic hydrocarbons than is normally allowable in conventional chlorination processes. The use of glass column reactors limits the possibility of contamination, and allows effective catalysis of free radical reactions using light sources. Further, the need for mechanical agitation is removed, reducing power reqlirerlents. The long residence times associated with stirred reactors are avoided and rapid chlorinations are achieved. An example of the inventicn, using the system, as illustrated in the attached flowsheet, will now be described. EXAMPLE Paraffinic hydrocarbon (C14 average) feedstock, of sufficient quantity for a batch in a single column reactor of 450 mm diameter and height of 4 m, i.e. 365 kg, was stripped of free radical reaction inhibitors with HCl/Cl2 reaction gases from the chlorination reactor. The feedstock was passed into a column reactor at a temperature of 70 C. The paraffin was circulated in the reactor and gaseous chlorine addition was started at a rate of about 70kg/h. The reaction initiation occurred after two minutes, when the chlorine feed rate was increased to 405 kg/h. The temperature in the reactor was allowed to increase to 1250c, and was ten maintained at 120 - 1300C for the duration of the reaction. The pressure in tie reactor was maintained at 35 - 40 kPa above atmospheric. A chlorine content of 52% was attained 115 minutes after initiation, when tlie chlorine feed was cut off. TIle chlorinated product from the reactor consisted of essentially 738 kg of water clear chloroparaffin containing 52% chlorine by weight in two hours of operation, an average output of 363 kg chlorparaffin per hour of operation. The total loss of chlorine from the reactor during the experiment was analysed at 9,5 kg or 2,5% of input chlorine. Losses of chlorine from the stripping column could not be detected. These results must be contrasted with conventional batchewize chlorination processes in agitated reactor vessels where reaction initiation times are of the order of four hours and total chlorination times are of the order or 20 to 30 hours.

Claims: CLAIMS: 1. A batch process for chlorinating a liquid hydrocarbon comprisin reacting a charge of the hydrocarbon with chlorine in a column reactor and discharging the chlorinated charge when a predetermined degree of chlorination has been attained. 2. A process of claim 1 wherein the hydrocarbon charge is continuously circulated through the reactor while chlorine gas is continuously fed to the reactor. 3. A process of claim 2 wherein the charge and chlorine gas are caused zo flow countercurrently,the charge downwardly and the gas upwardly through the reactor; the charge is bled from a low point of the reactor, and recirculated to a high point of the reactor; and residual reaction gases are removed from a high point of the reactor. 4. A process of any one of tlie preceding claims wherein inhibitors of chlorine free radical formation are stripped from the charge before the charge is introduced in the column reactor, 5. A process of claim 4 wherein the stripping is effected with hydrogen chloride qas. 6. A process of claim 3 wherein inhibitor of chlorine free radical formatio art stripped from the charge before the charge is introduced into the column reactor, stripping being effected with the residual reaction gases. A process of claim 6 wherein the charge and residual reaction gases are caused to flow countercurrently in a second column reactor, the charge downwardly and the gases upwardly through the reactor; the charge is bled at a low point of the reactor and recirculated to a high point of the reactor; and residual reaction gases are removed from a high point of the reactor. 8. A process of claim 7 wherein the temperature of the contents of the second column reactor are uoaintained in the range 700C to 900C. 9 A process of any one of the preceding claims wherein the charge is at a temperature excceding 50 C when it is introduced into the chlorinationreactor. 10. A process of any one of claims 1 to 8 wherein the charge is at a tempera- ture in the range 70 C to 90 C when it is introduced into the chlorination-reactor. 11. A process of any one of the preceding claims wherein the contents of the chlorination-reactor are maintained at a temperature exceeding 80 C. 12. A process of any one oi claims l to 10 wherein the contents of the chlorination reactor are maintained at a temperature in the range 110 C to 130 C. 13. A process of any one of the preceding claims wherein the hydrocarbon charge is a paraffin hydrocarbon charge. 14. A process of claim 13 wherein the paraffin hydrocarbon ch@@s a mixture of essentially straigh-chain paraffin having an average chain length between 9 and 26 carbon atoms. 15. A method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the column reactor or reactors are made of glass.

Inventors: GILLILAND, JOHN BARRY, MORGAN, DAVID LEWIS
Applicants: KLIPFONTEIN ORGANIC PRODUCTS CORPORATION LIMITED
Application year: 1979
Main classification: C07C17
IPC codes: C07C17, C07C67