Hydroformylation Effluent Stripping for Dissolved Hydrogen Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing hydroformylation processes face challenges in maintaining catalyst stability due to hydrogen dissolution, leading to increased equipment costs, energy consumption, and the need for additional syngas feedstock, particularly when operating at reduced pressures to prevent catalyst degradation.
Innovation Solution
A process that involves removing hydrogen from the reactor effluent stream using a stripper before entering the catalyst separation unit, employing a strip gas such as carbon monoxide to reduce hydrogen concentration, thereby minimizing the need for make-up gas and reducing equipment size and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the vaporiser operates at higher temperatures to increase evaporation, then the evaporation rate is improved, but catalyst degradation increases resulting in loss of activity and loss of rhodium
Solution Approach 1:
Carbon monoxide is added to the vaporiser before the catalyst degradation can occur. This preliminary action of introducing CO creates a protective atmosphere that stabilizes the catalyst, allowing higher operating temperatures to be used without causing catalyst degradation or rhodium loss.
2Productivity
If the vaporiser operates at lower pressures to increase evaporation, then the evaporation of aldehyde is improved, but equipment volumes increase and equipment costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the compositional parameter of the vaporiser atmosphere by adding carbon monoxide. This parameter change allows the system to operate at higher pressures than would otherwise be possible, thereby reducing equipment volume while maintaining effective evaporation through the combined effect of pressure and CO-stabilized catalyst.
3Productivity
If the vaporiser operates at vacuum pressures to increase evaporation, then the evaporation is improved, but the risk of air ingress increases resulting in oxidation of aldehyde and/or ligand
Solution Approach 1:
Carbon monoxide is introduced into the vaporiser to create an inert atmosphere that prevents air ingress and subsequent oxidation. The CO atmosphere acts as a protective barrier, allowing the system to operate at reduced pressures without the harmful effects of oxygen exposure to the aldehyde and ligand.
4Device complexity
If hydrogen is not removed from the effluent stream, then the process is simpler, but hydrogen accumulates in the circulating strip gas requiring high make-up gas flows and energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
A stripper unit is introduced to extract and remove hydrogen from the effluent stream before it enters the catalyst separation unit. This extraction of hydrogen prevents its accumulation in the circulating strip gas, thereby reducing the required make-up gas flows and associated energy consumption without significantly complicating the overall process.
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 maintains catalyst activity, decreases equipment costs, and lowers energy consumption by reducing the flow of make-up gas required, while allowing for smaller equipment and more efficient syngas utilization.
Implementation Method 1
contacting the effluent stream with a strip gas in the stripper to produce a stripped effluent stream having a lower hydrogen concentration than the effluent stream
Implementation Method 2
The vaporising of the aldehyde in the reactor effluent in the catalyst separation unit is assisted by lower pressures and higher temperatures in the vaporiser
Implementation Method 3
The vaporiser may also be heated to further stimulate evaporation
Implementation Method 4
In the condenser, the temperature of the vapour mixture is decreased with the result that essentially all the aldehyde is condensed and separated from the remaining vapour
Data Source
AI summary
A process for producing an aldehyde is disclosed. The process comprises: hydroformylating an olefin to form the aldehyde using a hydroformylation catalyst; recovering an effluent stream comprising the aldehyde, hydrogen and the hydroformylation catalyst; passing the effluent stream to a stripper; contacting the effluent stream with a strip gas in the stripper to produce a stripped effluent stream having a lower hydrogen concentration than the effluent stream; and recovering the stripped effluent stream.