Abstract: In a process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone, cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas to produce an oxidation effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and the cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide is then contacted with a cleavage catalyst to produce a cleavage effluent containing phenol and cyclohexanone. At least one of the oxidation effluent and the cleavage effluent also contains at least one by-product selected from phenylcyclohexanols and phenylcyclohexanones and the process further comprises contacting the by-product with a dehydration catalyst to convert the by-product to phenylcyclohexene and hydrogenating the phenylcyclohexene to cyclohexylbenzene. The dealkylation and hydrogenation may be conducted in a single stage.

Abstract: A process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone by cleaving cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide in a loop cleavage reactor comprising multiple reaction zones connected in series. In desirable embodiments, fresh cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide feed(s) are supplied to reaction zones the final reaction zone, and fresh acid catalyst is supplied only to the final reaction zone. In desirable embodiments, a portion of the effluent exiting the final reaction zone is recycled to the first reaction zone. Each reaction zone is equipped with a heat exchanger downstream of the feed port to extract heat generated from the cleavage reaction.

Abstract: In a process for separating methylcyclopentanone from a mixture comprising methylcyclopentanone and cyclohexanone, a feedstock comprising cyclohexanone, methylcyclopentanone, water at a concentration of at least 0.10 wt %, and optionally phenol is fed into a fractionation distillation column, where a lower effluent rich in cyclohexanone and an upper effluent rich in methylcyclopentanone are produced. Due to the inclusion of water at a relatively high concentration in the feedstock, efficient separation of methylcyclopentanone is achieved. In certain particularly desirable embodiments, the lower effluent is substantially free of methylcyclopentanone. The thus produced cyclohexanone may be used to make, e.g., high-purity caprolactam, which, in turn, may be used for fabricating, e.g., high-performance nylon-6 material.

Abstract: In a process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone, a cleavage reaction mixture containing cyclohexyl-1-phenyl-hydroperoxide and cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with sulfuric acid and water under cleavage conditions effective to form a cleavage reaction effluent containing phenol, cyclohexanone, cyclohexylbenzene, water, sulfuric acid and 1-phenylcyclohexanol. At least a portion of the cleavage reaction effluent is neutralized with a basic material to produce a neutralized cleavage product and at least a portion of the neutralized cleavage product is supplied in the absence of an added dehydration catalyst to a distillation column. The distillation column is operated so that at least a portion of the neutralized cleavage product is exposed to a temperature greater than 70° C. at at least one location in the distillation column whereby at least a portion of the 1-phenylcyclohexanol in the neutralized cleavage product is dehydrated to phenylcyclohexene.

Abstract: In a process for separating methylcyclopentanone from a mixture comprising methylcyclopentanone and cyclohexanone, a feedstock comprising cyclohexanone, methylcyclopentanone, water at a concentration of at least 0.10 wt %, and optionally phenol is fed into a fractionation distillation column, where a lower effluent rich in cyclohexanone and an upper effluent rich in methylcyclopentanone are produced. Due to the inclusion of water at a relatively high concentration in the feedstock, efficient separation of methylcyclopentanone is achieved. In certain particularly desirable embodiments, the lower effluent is substantially free of methylcyclopentanone. The thus produced cyclohexanone may be used to make, e.g., high-purity caprolactam, which, in turn, may be used for fabricating, e.g., high-performance nylon-6 material.

Abstract: A process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone is described in which cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas under conditions effective to produce an oxidation effluent comprising cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and at least part of cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide is contacted with a cleavage catalyst under conditions effective to produce a cleavage effluent containing phenol and cyclohexanone. At least one of the oxidation effluent and the cleavage effluent contains at least one phenylcyclohexanol as a by-product and the process further comprises contacting the phenylcyclohexanol with a dehydration catalyst comprising a molecular sieve of the MCM-22 family under conditions effective to convert at least part of the phenylcyclohexanol to phenylcyclohexene.

Abstract: In a process for producing phenol and/or cyclohexanone, cyclohexylbenzene is contacted with an oxygen-containing gas to produce an oxidation effluent containing cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide and the cyclohexylbenzene hydroperoxide is then contacted with a cleavage catalyst to produce a cleavage effluent containing phenol and cyclohexanone. At least one of the oxidation effluent and the cleavage effluent also contains at least one by-product selected from phenylcyclohexanols and phenylcyclohexanones and the process further comprises contacting the by-product with a dehydration catalyst to convert the by-product to phenylcyclohexene and hydrogenating the phenylcyclohexene to cyclohexylbenzene. The dealkylation and hydrogenation may be conducted in a single stage.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into conversion products, such as ethylene and propylene. In particular, the present techniques utilize a high-severity reactor integrated with another reactor type to convert hydrocarbons to other petrochemical products.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into ethylene. In particular, the present techniques expose feed containing hydrocarbons to high-severity operating conditions in a pyrolysis reactor and separate the reactor product from the reactor into a first product having hydrogen and a second product including ?90 mole percent of the acetylene in the reactor product. Then, the second product is reacted with a catalyst in a converter to form ethylene.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are provided for processing hydrocarbon feeds. The method enhances the conversion of hydrocarbon feeds into conversion products, such as ethylene and propylene. In particular, the present techniques combine a first hydrocarbon feed with a second hydrocarbon feed and a hydrogen (H2) containing stream to manage the hydrogen content of the feed provided to a pyrolysis reactor. The mixture is then exposed to high-severity operating conditions in a pyrolysis reactor and further processing into desired olefins.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for separating from the reactor effluent of an olefin oligomerization procedure those catalyst materials and polymeric by-products which can cause difficulties in the downstream processing of such effluent. Polymer by-products and catalyst in the effluent are separated from reaction products by flash vaporization utilizing an in-situ hot solvent which is contacted with the effluent and serves as the heating medium to promote this flash vaporization step. Subsequent processing of a liquid portion of the effluent which is left after flash vaporization involves recovery of catalyst and polymeric by-products therefrom in a steam stripping vessel. Also disclosed is a multiple reactor system which can be used for continuous trimerization of ethylene to 1-hexene while at the same time washing polymeric by-products from one of the reactors in the series using a wash oil solvent.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a method for separating from the reactor effluent of an olefin oligomerization procedure those catalyst materials and polymeric by-products which can cause difficulties in the downstream processing of such effluent. Polymer by-products and catalyst in the effluent are separated from reaction products by flash vaporization utilizing an in-situ hot solvent which is contacted with the effluent and serves as the heating medium to promote this flash vaporization step. Subsequent processing of a liquid portion of the effluent which is left after flash vaporization involves recovery of catalyst and polymeric by-products therefrom in a steam stripping vessel. Also disclosed is a multiple reactor system which can be used for continuous trimerization of ethylene to 1-hexene while at the same time washing polymeric by-products from one of the reactors in the series using a wash oil solvent.