Abstract: A process for the preparation of ethanolamines includes passing ammonia in counter-flow with water and a recycled ammoniacal solution through an absorption column provided with internally cooled bubbling-trays to obtain an ammoniacal solution containing from 20 to 50% by weight of ammonia, reacting the ammoniacal solution with ethylene oxide firstly in an isothermal reactor and then in an adiabatic reactor to obtain substantially complete conversion of the ethylene oxide to ethanolamines, removing by means of a desorption column and recycling unreacted ammonia and part of the water from the reaction product, evaporating a greater part of the remaining water in an evaporator and dehydrating the ethanolamines at low pressure.

Abstract: Hydrogen and sulfur are produced from hydrogen sulfide by reacting the latter with iodine in an aqueous solution of hydriodic acid, recovering the sulfur thus formed, removing any unreacted hydrogen sulfide from the solution, rectifying said solution thereby to obtain hydrogen iodide and a residual hydriodic acid solution and thermally dissociating the hydrogen iodide to form hydrogen and iodine. The hydrogen is separated by diffusion and recovered. The unreacted hydrogen sulfide thus removed, the residual solution and the iodine are recycled.

Abstract: An energy conversion, conveyance and utilisation system, particularly for providing process heat in industrial plants, which makes use of a source of heat such as a nuclear reactor to dissociate sulfur trioxide according to the reaction:2SO.sub.3 .revreaction.2SO.sub.2 + O.sub.2,the dissociation products being conveyed through a pipeline to a remote utilization station where the heat of recombination is utilized, the resulting sulfur trioxide being returned through the pipeline to the reactor site. The pipeline incorporates separate pipes in which the sulfur dioxide and sulfur trioxide are conducted in liquefied form, surrounded by a duct in which the gaseous oxygen flows.

Abstract: Ethylene oxide is prepared by supplying a gaseous mixture containing ethylene, oxygen and a moderator of the oxidation reaction to a first reaction zone containing a silver-based catalyst, cooling the gas stream leaving this zone, supplying it after enrichment with oxygen and moderator to a second reaction zone containing the silver-based catalyst, recovering ethylene oxide and recycling the residual gases after being combined with fresh reacting gases, the reaction temperature of the second zone being at least 5.degree. C less than the temperature of the first zone.

Abstract: Crude ethylene oxide present in the dilute aqueous solution resulting from the extraction with an aqueous solvent of ethylene oxide from the gaseous stream obtained by catalytic oxidation of ethylene is purified by desorption, liquefaction, distillation in a fractionating column and final desorption treatment to remove absorbed non-condensable gases. The fractionating column is heated by condensation of the water vapor evolved during desorption and a liquid stream of ethylene oxide rich in acetaldehyde is discharged from the bottom, treated to convert a fraction of said acetaldehyde into high-boiling products, distilled to remove the latter as bottoms and returned to the fractionating column.

Abstract: Process for the simultaneous separation of ethylene oxide and carbon dioxide from the gaseous mixtures obtained in the direct oxidation of ethylene with oxygen, comprisingA. cooling the gaseous mixture containing ethylene oxide, unreacted ethylene, water vapour, carbon dioxide and inert gases after addition of methanol to a temperature such that the water vapour present separates in the form of an aqueous methanol solution;B. washing the obtained gaseous mixture in an absorption zone with methanol, the methanol being fed into the intermediate part of the absorption zone as a main methanol stream and into the upper part as a secondary methanol stream, maintaining the temperature of the secondary methanol stream at least about 30.degree.C lower than that of the main methanol stream and removing from the upper part a gaseous mixture being practically free of ethylene oxide and containing carbon dioxide and ethylene and from the lower part of the absorption zone a solution of ethylene oxide in methanol; andC.

Abstract: A process for the production of ethylene glycol ethers by reacting ethylene oxide with monofunctional aliphatic alcohols, which comprisesReacting a monofunctional aliphatic alcohol and ethylene oxide in a first reaction stage in a molar ratio of from about 3:1 to 20:1;Separating excess alcohol from the ethylene glycol ethers obtained as the reaction products in the first stage;Reacting the ethylene glycol ethers with ethylene oxide in a molar ratio of from about 1:1 to 10:1 and with monoethylene glycol ether in a second reaction stage;Separating the monoethylene glycol ether and the diethylene glycol ether from the reaction products of the second stage, maintaining a weight ratio of the discharged fraction to the recycled fraction of from about 0.5:1 to 5:1.The reaction is carried out under abiabatic conditions in the first stage and under isothermal conditions in the second stage.