Acid Anhydride Accelerants for High Purity Polyol Ester Production
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional processes for producing high purity polyol esters often require excessively long reaction times, leading to increased costs and potential degradation of reactants and products due to heat exposure, and may result in the presence of contaminants like acid or metal residues, which can cause corrosion and degradation in applications such as refrigeration equipment.
Innovation Solution
A method involving reacting a polyol with an excess amount of linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic C3-20 acid to form an intermediate reaction composition with a specific hydroxyl value, followed by adding the corresponding anhydride to complete the esterification under controlled conditions without using catalysts or bleaching agents containing metal, halogen, or sulfur, thereby reducing reaction time and maintaining high purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional esterification processes are used to produce high purity polyol esters, then the polyol esters can be obtained, but the reaction times become excessively long leading to increased production costs and potential degradation of reactants and products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting a first esterification reaction to form an intermediate product with controlled hydroxyl value (7-50 mg KOH/g) before adding the anhydride. This staged approach allows the reaction to proceed in two phases: first forming the intermediate ester, then completing the reaction with anhydride addition, thereby reducing total reaction time while maintaining high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by monitoring and controlling the hydroxyl value of the reaction mixture during the first esterification stage. By stopping the reaction when the hydroxyl value reaches 7-50 mg KOH/g, the process optimizes reaction conditions to prevent excessive heat exposure and degradation, while still achieving high purity product
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional esterification processes are used to produce high purity polyol esters, then the polyol esters can be obtained, but the reaction conditions require excessive heat exposure leading to degradation of reactants and final products
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by conducting a first esterification reaction to form an intermediate product with controlled hydroxyl value (7-50 mg KOH/g) before adding the anhydride. This staged approach allows the reaction to proceed in two phases: first forming the intermediate ester, then completing the reaction with anhydride addition, thereby reducing total reaction time while maintaining high purity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies the skipping principle by rapidly completing the esterification reaction after the intermediate stage is reached. Once the hydroxyl value is controlled at 7-50 mg KOH/g, the anhydride is added to quickly convert remaining hydroxyl groups, minimizing the time the system is exposed to elevated temperatures and preventing degradation
3Productivity
If conventional esterification processes are used, then polyol esters can be produced, but acid or metal residues remain as contaminants causing corrosion and degradation in applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing metal and sulfur contaminants through filtration and washing steps after the esterification reaction. The process includes filtering the reaction mixture and washing with water to remove catalyst residues and other contaminants, thereby producing high purity polyol esters suitable for lubricant applications
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses disposable adsorbents during the reaction process to capture and remove metal and sulfur contaminants. These adsorbents are added to the reaction mixture, absorb the harmful contaminants, and are then removed through filtration, providing an effective and economical method for achieving high product purity
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach allows for the efficient production of high purity, transparent, and stable polyol esters with reduced production costs, minimizing the presence of contaminants and extending the thermal, oxidative, and hydrolytic stability of the final product.
Implementation Method 1
reacting a polyol with an excess amount of a linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic C3-20 acid to esterify less than the total amount of the polyol present to form an intermediate reaction composition, followed by reaction of an anhydride of the corresponding linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic C3-20 acid to form a reaction product
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A method of producing high purity polyol esters comprises reacting a polyol with an excess amount of a linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic C3-20 acid to esterify less than the total amount of the polyol present to form an intermediate reaction composition having a hydroxyl value of from 7 to about 50 mg KOH/g. An anhydride of the corresponding linear or branched aliphatic monocarboxylic C3-20 acid is added to the intermediate reaction composition in an amount of from 1 to about 2.5 equivalents of available OH in the intermediate composition to form a reaction mixture. The reaction mixture is heated for 5-30 minutes or until all of the corresponding anhydride has reacted to form a reaction product. The reaction product is then de-acidified. No metal or acid catalyst or bleaching agents are present in any of the above reaction steps at a concentration above about 15 ppm.