Method of cooling and condensing the crude reaction product of a synthesis of vinyl acetate by the vapour phase reaction of acetate acid with excess acetylene

摘要

In a process for the synthesis of vinyl acetate by the vapour phase reaction of acetic acid with excess acetylene, the crude reaction products are cooled and condensed by direct contact with reaction products or a part or component of such products which have been previously cooled. A preferred apparatus is a conventional cooling tower with countercurrent flow of the coolant which is cooled by usual methods to between -15 DEG C. and 10 DEG C. In an example the crude products containing from 60 to 85 volume per cent. of acetylene at from 200 DEG C. to 50 DEG C. are passed through the cooling tower 2, cooled by a portion of the effluent 4, which is at 30 DEG C. to 80 DEG C. and is further cooled in tower 10 to -15 DEG C. to 10 DEG C. and recycled. The remaining product 6, is passed to a distillation step for purification and the gas from the top of the tower 3, is recycled to the synthesis stage of the process.