Patent ID: 8058485

Claim:
A process for the production of dichlorotrifluoroethane which comprises: (i) reacting perchloroethylene with hydrogen fluoride in the vapour phase at elevated temperature in at least one reactor in the presence of a fluorination catalyst to produce a composition comprising dichlorotrifluoroethane, hydrogen chloride, unreacted perchloroethylene and unreacted hydrogen fluoride; (ii) separating from the composition that is produced in step (i) a first fraction comprising dichlorotrifluoroethane and a second fraction comprising perchloroethylene and hydrogen fluoride; (iii) separating the second fraction from step (ii) into a hydrogen fluoride-rich fraction and a perchloroethylene-containing, organic-rich fraction; and (iv) recycling the hydrogen fluoride-rich fraction and perchloroethylene-containing, organic-rich fraction back to step (i) of the process, wherein the process is operated so that 45 to 80% of the perchloroethylene feed remains unreacted having passed through each reactor.