Abstract: Alkyl hypohalites are produced by reaction of tertiary alkanol with chlorine and aqueous base, or prechlorinated aqueous base, in a high back-mix recycle loop reactor operated at a recycle ratio of at least 5:1 to thereby control reaction temperature and permit the use of short reaction times; i.e., less than 5 minutes. The loop reactor is operated at a velocity sufficient to maintain a well dispersed reaction mixture of the organic, aqueous and gas phases.Tertiary butyl hypochlorite is a preferred product.

Abstract: Apparatus for carrying out catalytic exothermic and endothermic high-pressure gas reactions, comprising a single-walled pressure vessel or shell containing cross-flow (e.g., radial flow) heat transfer exchangers, a continuous catalytic bed having at least two stages, and means for effecting "cross-over" material flows from "outside" to "inside" (for exothermic reactions) and vice versa (for endothermic reactions), whereby conditions of: maximum gas temperature always being in the core of the apparatus, minimal pressure drop, and minimal compression of catalyst particles are achieved, along with significant economic savings in cost of the apparatus and catalyst (through extension of catalyst life).

Abstract: A compound is chlorinated with chlorine to produce chlorinated product and hydrogen chloride byproduct. Recovered hydrogen chloride byproduct is contacted with oxygen and a molten salt mixture containing the higher and lower valent chlorides of a multivalent metal, such as cuprous and cupric chloride, to effect recovery of the hydrogen chloride by enriching the molten salt content of the higher valent chloride. The molten salt, enriched in higher valent chloride, is then dechlorinated by use of a stripping gas, preferably hydrogen chloride, to produce a gaseous effluent containing stripped chlorine and the stripping gas, which is then recycled to the chlorination step. The presence of stripping gas, as a diluent, improves the chlorination operation.

Abstract: In the hydrolysis of nicontinonitrile to nicotinamide, the hydrolysis effluent, containing nicotinamide, unconverted nicotinonitrile, ammonia and some ammonium nicotinate is stripped with gaseous ammonia to produce a molten nicontinamide bottoms, essentially free of nicotinonitrile, containing less than 10 wt % water and an overhead containing water vapor, ammonia and nicotinonitrile. An aqueous solution of ammonia and unreacted nicotinonitrile is recovered from the overhead and recycled to the hydrolysis, with gaseous ammonia in the overhead being recycled to the stripping.

Abstract: In the liquefaction of a sub-bituminous and/or lignitic coal, an ash containing coal liquid is heated to a temperature of from 410.degree. C. to 450.degree. C., and delayed coked adiabatically at a pressure of from 15 psig to 120 psig to produce an ash containing soft coke, having a volatile matter content of above 16% and generally no greater than 30%, all by weight, which is particularly suitable as a blending stock for the production of metallurgical coke.

Abstract: Coal is catalytically hydroliquefied by passing coal dispersed in a liquefaction solvent and hydrogen upwardly through a plurality of parallel expanded catalyst beds, in a single reactor, in separate streams, each having a cross-sectional flow area of no greater than 255 inches square, with each of the streams through each of the catalyst beds having a length and a liquid and gas superficial velocity to maintain an expanded catalyst bed and provide a Peclet Number of at least 3. If recycle is employed, the ratio of recycle to total feed (coal and liquefaction solvent) is no greater than 2:1, based on volume. Such conditions provide for improved selectivity to liquid product to thereby reduce hydrogen consumption. The plurality of beds are formed by partitions in the reactor.

Abstract: Coal is catalytically hydroliquefied by passing coal dispersed in a liquefaction solvent and hydrogen upwardly through an expanded catalyst bed in a stream having a cross-sectional flow area of no greater than 255 inches square, with the stream through the catalyst bed having a length and a liquid and gas superficial velocity to maintain an expanded catalyst bed and provide a Peclet Number of at least 3. If recycle is employed, the ratio of recycle to total feed (coal and liquefaction solvent) is no greater than 2:1 based on volume. Such conditions provide for improved selectivity to liquid product to thereby reduce hydrogen consumption.

Abstract: There is disclosed a process and apparatus for the fractionation of close boiling components of a multi-component system and comprised of at least two fractionation columns having a plurality of equilibrium stages wherein the vapor from a downstream fractionation column is compressed and passed into a lower portion of a preceding fractionation column. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the compressed overhead vapor stream is passed in heat transfer relationship to a liquid stream withdrawn from the preceding fractionation column prior to introduction into the lower portion of such preceding fractionation column.

Abstract: In the crystallization of a material from a liquid solution thereof wherein normal rapid cooling produces a non-filterable solid, the mixture of material and liquid is subjected to a high shear force field to produce a filterable slurry of the material, with the mixture being subjected to the shear force either during the cooling or subsequent thereto. The process is particularly applicable to recovering nicotinamide from a supersaturated aqueous solution thereof.

Abstract: Coal tar pitch is contacted with a promoter liquid having a 5 volume percent distillation temperature of at least 250.degree. F. and a 95 volume percent distillation temperature of at least 350.degree. F. and no greater than about 750.degree. F., with the liquid having a characterization factor of at least 9.75 to promote the separation of quinoline insolubles from the pitch. A coal tar pitch fraction essentially free of quinoline insolubles is then subjected to coking to produce a needle coke. The process is also applicable to separation of quinoline insolubles from coal tar derived binder pitch.

Abstract: An off-gas from a process for producing styrene from ethylbenzene, which contains non-condensables; in particular, hydrogen, as well as some aromatics; in particular, ethylbenzene, is contacted with a higher boiling absorption oil to scrub aromatics from the off-gas and provide an off-gas essentially free of aromatics. The absorption step is employed as a final treatment of the off-gas; i.e., subsequent to initial treatment of the off-gas by chilling and/or ethylbenzene scrubbing to initially reduce the aromatics content thereof. A preferred absorption oil is the heavy byproducts obtained from a process for producing ethylbenzene, which contains polyethylbenzenes.

Abstract: Vanadia supported on a silica-alumina or gamma-alumina support in an amount to provide a vanadia to support weight ratio ranging from about 0.3:1 to about 3:1 substantially entirely within the pores of the support, the vanadia having been placed in molten form substantially within the pores of a support having a surface area greater than about 50 m.sup.2 gram, a porosity greater than about 0.4 cc/gram which further includes an alkali metal, with the vanadium metal to alkali metal mole ratio being from 2:1 to 30:1. At least a portion of the alkali metal is preferably in the form of alkali metal vanadate. The catalyst is used for the production of nitriles from a compound containing at least one alkyl group.

Abstract: Olefin is reacted with alkyl hypochlorite and water to produce an effluent containing the chlorohydrin and alkanol. An organic solvent is employed to extract the alkanol and chlorohydrin from the aqueous effluent, followed by saponification with base to produce olefin oxide. Olefin oxide is separated from the saponification effluent, followed by separation of an organic phase of the organic solvent, and an aqueous phase, which contains the alkanol. The aqueous phase containing alkanol, is chlorinated to produce the alkyl hypochlorite, with the organic phase being recycled to the extraction. The process is preferably integrated with the electrolytic production of chlorine.

Abstract: A catalyst comprised of oxidized copper, zirconium and an alkali metal is employed for oxidizing an aromatic carboxylic acid to the corresponding phenol; e.g., benzoic acid to phenol.

Abstract: Process for dehydrating aqueous ethanol, utilizing a high-pressure distillation (with a single distillation column) of an aqueous ethanol admixture (preferably one derived from a conventional ethanol fermentation process), to achieve a vapor phase ethanol-water admixture containing about 90 percent, by weight, of ethanol, and then drying the vaporous admixture, in the presence of CO.sub.2, with a crystalline zeolite type 3A, utilizing the "pressure energy" derived from the distillation to allow the product ethanol to condense at ambient temperatures, and then, if desired, employing the resultant dried ethanol product in the production of gasohol.

Abstract: Volatile liquid, such as benzene, isoprene, cyclopentadiene, butadiene present as a vapor in a blanket gas released from a storage zone for the liquid is absorbed from the gas by use of an absorption oil, followed by contacting of the rich absorption oil with an immiscible extraction solvent in an amount much less than the absorption oil to extract absorbed volatile liquid and provide a lean absorption oil. The volatile liquid is recovered from the extraction solvent, for example, by stripping. By recovering the volatile liquid from the small amount of extraction solvent, rather than the absorption oil, heating and cooling duties are decreased.

Abstract: A gravity settler comprised of a housing which encloses a plurality of conically shaped hollow members arranged in vertically spaced horizontally disposed layers, each of such layers containing a plurality of the conical members, with adjacent layers defining therebetween separate gravity settling compartments. Each of the compartments includes a feed inlet(s), overflow outlets for withdrawing clarified liquid and underflow outlets for withdrawing liquid containing solid.

Abstract: Waste water recovered from a nitrile production effluent, containing ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, carbon dioxide and water soluble polymers is stripped of ammonia, carbon dioxide and hydrogen cyanide to produce an aqueous stream containing the water soluble polymer. At least a portion of this stream is introduced into a steam scrubber to generate steam therefrom, with scrubber bottoms and any remaining water from the stripping operation being introduced into a reboiler to provide steam for the stripping and an aqueous concentrate of the water soluble polymer. Heat for the reboiler can be provided by indirect heat transfer with steam from the scrubber which produces a condensate suitable as feed water for steam generation.

Abstract: A reaction effluent containing vaporized salt withdrawn from a reaction zone, such as a molten salt reaction zone, is contacted with solid particles to cool the gas and condense vaporized salt onto the particles. Such contacting may be effected in either a fluidized bed of solids or in a dilute phase transport contact zone. Heat is recovered either by indirect heat transfer in the fluidized bed or by separating the solid particles and introduction thereof into a fluidized bed cooled by indirect heat transfer. Solid salt is attrited from the particles during contacting with the reaction gas and fluidizing gas, with such solid salts being returned to the reaction zone.

Abstract: A cooling tower in which the heat exchangers are arranged to form radially spaced concentric vertical cylinder walls, with air shields being positioned between the concentric cylinder walls to direct air flow through the exchangers. The air shields are upwardly inclined toward the tower center to approximate natural air flow.