Chlorinated Alkane Purity via Low-Oxygen Chlorination
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The production of chlorinated alkane compounds often results in high levels of oxygenated impurities, which destabilize feedstocks, reduce yield, and are difficult to separate, posing challenges in downstream processes for producing fluorinated compounds like HFOs.
Innovation Solution
A process involving chlorination of chlorinated alkenes or alkanes with chlorine having an oxygen content of less than 2000 ppmv, conducted in a closed or inert atmosphere, minimizes the formation of oxygenated organic impurities through a hydrolysis step, ensuring the chlorine used is highly pure and has low oxygen levels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional chlorination processes are used with standard chlorine feedstock, then the production efficiency is maintained, but oxygenated organic impurities are formed at high levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing oxygen from chlorine feedstock before the chlorination reaction. This is achieved through specific oxygen removal techniques performed on the chlorine gas prior to its introduction into the reactor, preventing oxygen from participating in side reactions that would form oxygenated impurities during the chlorination process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an inert atmosphere principle by maintaining an oxygen-free environment during the chlorination process. By using chlorine with less than 1000 ppmv oxygen and potentially adding inert gases, the reaction environment is protected from oxygen contamination, thereby preventing the formation of oxygenated organic impurities while maintaining high production efficiency.
2Manufacturing precision
If distillation steps are used to remove oxygenated impurities from chlorinated feedstock, then impurity levels are reduced, but the process complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing oxygen from chlorine feedstock before the chlorination reaction. This is achieved through specific oxygen removal techniques performed on the chlorine gas prior to its introduction into the reactor, preventing oxygen from participating in side reactions that would form oxygenated impurities during the chlorination process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an inert atmosphere principle by maintaining an oxygen-free environment during the chlorination process. By using chlorine with less than 1000 ppmv oxygen and potentially adding inert gases, the reaction environment is protected from oxygen contamination, thereby preventing the formation of oxygenated organic impurities while maintaining high production efficiency.
3Productivity
If oxygenated impurities are present in chlorinated feedstock, then downstream processing can proceed, but catalyst life is compromised and yield is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by removing oxygen from chlorine feedstock before the chlorination reaction. This is achieved through specific oxygen removal techniques performed on the chlorine gas prior to its introduction into the reactor, preventing oxygen from participating in side reactions that would form oxygenated impurities during the chlorination process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs an inert atmosphere principle by maintaining an oxygen-free environment during the chlorination process. By using chlorine with less than 1000 ppmv oxygen and potentially adding inert gases, the reaction environment is protected from oxygen contamination, thereby preventing the formation of oxygenated organic impurities while maintaining high production efficiency.
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 effectively reduces the formation and content of oxygenated organic impurities in chlorinated alkane products, enhancing the purity and viability of downstream processes by maintaining low oxygen levels in the reaction mixture.
Implementation Method 1
a chlorinated alkene or alkane feedstock is contacted with chlorine in a chlorination zone to produce a reaction mixture containing the chlorinated alkane
Implementation Method 2
the reaction mixture extracted from the chlorination zone is subjected to a hydrolysis step
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing a chlorinated alkane in which an alkene or an alkane feedstock is contacted with chlorine in a chlorination zone to produce a reaction mixture containing the chlorinated alkane, wherein the chlorine supplied into the chlorination zone has an oxygen content of less than about 2000ppmv and wherein: the chlorination zone is closed to the atmosphere, and / or the chlorination zone is operated under atmospheric or superatmospheric pressure, and / or the chlorination zone is operated under an inert atmosphere, and/or the content of dissolved oxygen in the alkene or alkane feedstock is less than 2000ppm.