Feed control in the manufacture of methyl tertiary butyl ether

摘要

A first stream of predeterminable temperature is mixed with a second stream of a different predeterminable temperature to provide a final mixed stream by flowing a portion of the second stream through a by-pass indirect contact heat exchanger into indirect heat exchange contact with a flowing stream of a heat exchange liquid, by-passing a second portion of the second stream, by mixing the first and second portions to provide a reconstituted second stream having an intermediate temperature, by mixing the first stream with the reconstituted second stream to provide a final stream having a final temperature and by changing the portion of the second stream flowing through the by-pass in response to a change in the final temperature by an amount sufficient to maintain the temperature of the final stream, for example, in the preparation of a charge stream used in the preparation of methyl tertiary butyl ether from tertiary butyl alcohol and methanol.