Jet Loop Reactor Gas Separator for Membrane Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In large-scale hydroformylation processes, the separation of homogeneously dissolved catalysts from the reaction mixture using membrane technology is challenging due to the risk of catalyst deactivation and membrane damage from outgassing synthesis gas, leading to high costs and energy consumption, especially with polymer membranes which are susceptible to gas bubbles and require large membrane areas.
Innovation Solution
A device with a jet loop reactor and external liquid circulation that includes a gas separator to remove gas from the external liquid circuit before membrane separation, reducing the feed volume flow and membrane area required, and using a multi-stage membrane cascade for improved permeate quality and reduced membrane area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If membrane separation is used to separate catalyst from reaction mixture, then catalyst recovery is improved, but membrane damage and catalyst deactivation occur due to outgassing synthesis gas
Solution Approach 1:
The gas separator is positioned upstream of the membrane separation unit in the external circulation loop, removing synthesis gas from the liquid phase before the mixture reaches the membrane. This preliminary gas removal prevents gas bubbles from reaching and damaging the membrane, while still allowing the membrane to effectively separate and retain the catalyst from the reaction mixture.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation process is divided into two distinct stages: first, gas separation occurs in the gas separator to remove synthesis gas from the liquid phase; second, catalyst separation occurs in the membrane separation unit. This segmentation allows each unit to perform its specific function optimally without interference from the other harmful component.
2Reliability
If membrane area is increased to handle gas-containing feed, then separation capacity is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
By performing gas separation before membrane separation, the feed to the membrane unit has reduced gas content. This allows the membrane area to be optimized for catalyst separation rather than having to be oversized to handle gas bubbles, thereby reducing device complexity and cost while maintaining adequate separation capacity.
3Ease of manufacture
If polymer membranes are used for catalyst separation, then cost is reduced, but susceptibility to gas bubbles increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas separator removes synthesis gas from the liquid phase before the mixture contacts the polymer membrane. This preliminary gas removal protects the cost-effective polymer membrane from gas bubble damage, allowing the use of economical polymer materials without sacrificing reliability.
4Productivity
If external liquid circulation is used with jet loop reactor, then reaction efficiency is improved, but gas accumulation in circulation loop increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gas separator extracts synthesis gas from the liquid phase in the external circulation loop, removing the harmful gas accumulation that would otherwise build up during efficient liquid-phase circulation. This allows the external circulation to maintain high reaction efficiency without gas content becoming a limiting factor.
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
The gas separator reduces the risk of membrane damage and catalyst deactivation, lowers costs by minimizing membrane area, and allows for more efficient processing of reactions with higher gas content, making the process more economically viable for industrial scales.
Implementation Method 1
a gas separator is arranged in the outer liquid circulation of the jet loop reactor, which is configured to separate gas from the outer liquid circulation
Implementation Method 2
the device has at least one membrane separation unit preferably retaining the homogeneous catalyst
Implementation Method 3
the liquid enters a reaction chamber under pressure through a nozzle, flows through this chamber along a main flow direction, is deflected at the end of the reaction chamber opposite the nozzle, flows back against the main flow direction
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for the continuous, homogeneous-catalytic reaction of a liquid with a gas and if necessary a further liquid, wherein the device comprises at least one jet loop reactor having an external liquid circulation driven by at least one pump, and wherein the device has at least one membrane separation unit preferably retaining the homogeneous catalyst, which membrane separation unit is arranged in the external liquid circulation of the jet loop reactor. The problem addressed is to reduce the costs of the device. The problem is solved by providing an additional apparatus, namely a gas separator, which is arranged in the external liquid circulation of the jet loop reactor, and is designed in order to separate out gas from the external liquid circulation and to feed it back into the jet loop reactor.