Aldehyde production process with multi-stage condensation

摘要

A hydroformylation system for making aldehyde by reacting olefin with synthesis gas by way of hydroformylation is improved by multi-stage condensation of gaseous reactor effluent for providing liquid feed to a gas-liquid contact zone. The process provides for condensing and separating the gaseous reactor output stream in a plurality of successive condenser stages into gaseous condenser output streams and liquid condenser output streams having differing temperatures and feeding the recovered liquid to the gas-liquid contact zone to improve olefin recovery by stripping.

主权项

1. A method of recovering a crude aldehyde product stream from a gaseous stream containing aldehyde and unreacted olefin from a hydroformylation system comprising:
(a) condensing and separating the gaseous stream in a first condenser stage into (i) a first condenser stage liquid product stream at a first temperature and (ii) a first condenser stage gaseous output stream; (b) condensing and separating at least a portion of the first condenser stage gaseous output stream in a second condenser stage into (i) a second condenser stage liquid product stream at a second temperature lower than said first temperature of said first condenser stage liquid stream and (ii) a second condenser stage gaseous output stream; (c) feeding at least both of the first condenser stage liquid stream and the second condenser stage liquid stream as liquid feed to a gas-liquid contact zone in order to adjust a liquid feed temperature to the gas-liquid contact zone; (d) stripping unreacted olefin from the liquid feed with synthesis gas in said gas-liquid contact zone; and (e) recovering a crude liquid aldehyde product stream from said gas-liquid contact zone having a lower olefin content than the liquid feed to said gas-liquid contact zone.