Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of: a) supplying a gas composition to an alkylene oxide absorber through a gas inlet, the absorber comprising an absorption section and a sump, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation and hydrolysis; and d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorption section and passing the fat absorbent and any liquid condensate through the sump, wherein the sump comprises one or more baffles that define a flow pathway from a sump inlet to a sump outlet between the one or more baffles.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of: a) supplying a gas composition to an alkylene oxide absorber through a gas inlet, the absorber comprising an absorption section and a sump, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation and hydrolysis; and d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorption section and passing the fat absorbent and any liquid condensate through the sump, wherein the sump comprises one or more baffles that define a flow pathway from a sump inlet to a sump outlet between the one or more baffles.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of: a) supplying a gas composition to an alkylene oxide absorber through a gas inlet, the absorber comprising an absorption section and a sump, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation and hydrolysis; and d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorption section and passing the fat absorbent and any liquid condensate through the sump, wherein the sump comprises one or more baffles that define a flow pathway from a sump inlet to a sump outlet between the one or more baffles.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene comprising steps of: a) supplying a gas composition to an alkylene oxide absorber through a gas inlet, the absorber comprising an absorption section and a sump, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards; b) supplying a lean absorbent to the top of the absorption section and allowing the lean absorbent to pass downwards; c) intimately contacting the gas composition with lean absorbent in the absorption section in the presence of one or more catalysts that promote carboxylation and hydrolysis; and d) withdrawing fat absorbent from the absorption section and passing the fat absorbent and any liquid condensate through the sump, wherein the sump comprises one or more baffles that define a flow pathway from a sump inlet to a sump outlet between the one or more baffles.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene is provided, along with an absorber apparatus. The process comprises: supplying a gas composition to an absorber comprising a column of vertically stacked trays, wherein each of the vertically stacked trays comprises: a perforated gas-liquid contacting member or members, a liquid inlet area, an outlet weir extending vertically above a surface of the tray at an opposite end of the tray from the liquid inlet area and having a height of at least 200 mm and at most 1500 mm, and a downcomer element which, in cooperation with an inner surface of a wall of the column, forms a downcomer for the passage of liquid downwardly to the liquid inlet area of an adjacent vertically stacked tray below, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards through the alkylene oxide absorber.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for distillation of crude oils comprising i) passing a hydrocarbon crude oil into a preflash vessel maintained under conditions to separate the crude oil into a preflash liquid and a preflash vapor, ii) passing the pre-flash liquid into a furnace maintained under conditions to heat and partially vaporize the preflash liquid, iii) passing the heated furnace effluent into the lower part of a distillation column maintained under fractionating conditions, iv) passing the preflash vapor into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of a stripping zone located below the introduction zone of the furnace effluent, and v) passing steam into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of the stripping zone, such that liquid furnace effluent is contacted with steam and preflash vapor in the stripping zone under conditions sufficient to strip the liquid furnace effluent.

Abstract: A hybrid contact tray for a mass transfer column is provided. The contact tray includes a tray deck for passage of liquid along a liquid flow path thereon. The tray deck has a plurality of orifices for passage of ascending vapor through the tray deck, a cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section having a first portion of the plurality of orifices, and a co-current vapor-liquid mixing section including at least one co-current mixing device associated with a second portion of the plurality of orifices. The tray deck also has features capable of altering liquid head levels with respect to the plurality of orifices such that the liquid head level within the co-current vapor-liquid mixing section is greater than the liquid head level within the cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section.

Abstract: A contact and separation column (1) encasing a stack of one or more contact and separation cells (3). Each cell comprises: —a tray (4) with gas flow openings (6) opening into contact and separation units (7); —a downcomer (16) defining a liquid discharge; and —a liquid supply (17). Each contact and separation unit (7) comprises an upstream contact zone (8, 9) with liquid inlets (12), and one or more downstream separation zones (10) provided with a swirler (13) and a top end with a gas outlet (14). The swirler (13) is located at a distance from the gas inlet of from 50 to 90 % of the total length of the contact and separation zone. Process for treating a gas with such a column.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of an alkylene glycol from an alkene is provided, along with an absorber apparatus. The process comprises: supplying a gas composition to an absorber comprising a column of vertically stacked trays, wherein each of the vertically stacked trays comprises: a perforated gas-liquid contacting member or members, a liquid inlet area, an outlet weir extending vertically above a surface of the tray at an opposite end of the tray from the liquid inlet area and having a height of at least 200 mm and at most 1500 mm, and a downcomer element which, in cooperation with an inner surface of a wall of the column, forms a downcomer for the passage of liquid downwardly to the liquid inlet area of an adjacent vertically stacked tray below, and allowing the gas composition to pass upwards through the alkylene oxide absorber.

Abstract: Disclosed is a process for vacuum distillation of a hydrocarbon stream comprising i) passing a hydrocarbon stream into a preflash vessel maintained under conditions to separate the hydrocarbon stream into a preflash liquid and a preflash vapor, ii) passing the preflash liquid into a vacuum furnace maintained under conditions to heat and partly vaporize the preflash liquid, iii) passing the heated furnace effluent into a zone located in the lower part of a vacuum distillation column maintained under fractionating conditions, and iv) passing the preflash vapor into the vacuum distillation column into a further zone located in the lower part of the vacuum distillation column.

Abstract: A hybrid contact tray for a mass transfer column is provided. The contact tray includes a tray deck for passage of liquid along a liquid flow path thereon. The tray deck has a plurality of orifices for passage of ascending vapor through the tray deck, a cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section having a first portion of the plurality of orifices, and a co-current vapor-liquid mixing section comprising at least one co-current mixing device associated with a second portion of the plurality of orifices. The tray deck also has means for altering liquid head levels with respect to the plurality of orifices such that the liquid head level within the co-current vapor-liquid mixing section is greater than the liquid head level within the cross-current vapor-liquid mixing section.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for distillation of crude oils comprising i) passing a hydrocarbon crude oil into a preflash vessel maintained under conditions to separate the crude oil into a preflash liquid and a preflash vapor, ii) passing the pre-flash liquid into a furnace maintained under conditions to heat and partially vaporize the preflash liquid, iii) passing the heated furnace effluent into the lower part of a distillation column maintained under fractionating conditions, iv) passing the preflash vapor into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of a stripping zone located below the introduction zone of the furnace effluent, and v) passing steam into the distillation column in a zone at the bottom of the stripping zone, such that liquid furnace effluent is contacted with steam and preflash vapor in the stripping zone under conditions sufficient to strip the liquid furnace effluent.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for vacuum distillation of a hydrocarbon stream comprising i) passing a hydrocarbon stream into a preflash vessel maintained under conditions to separate the hydrocarbon stream into a preflash liquid and a preflash vapor, ii) passing the preflash liquid into a vacuum furnace maintained under conditions to heat and partly vaporize the preflash liquid, iii) passing the heated furnace effluent into a zone located in the lower part of a vacuum distillation column maintained under fractionating conditions, and iv) passing the preflash vapor into the vacuum distillation column into a further zone located in the lower part of the vacuum distillation column. The invention also relates to a high vacuum unit (HVU) configured to perform the vacuum distillation process.

Abstract: A contact and separation column (1) encasing a stack of one or more contact and separation cells (3). Each cell comprises: —a tray (4) with gas flow openings (6) opening into contact and separation units (7); —a downcomer (16) defining a liquid discharge; and —a liquid supply (17). Each contact and separation unit (7) comprises an upstream contact zone (8, 9) with liquid inlets (12), and one or more downstream separation zones (10) provided with a swirler (13) and a top end with a gas outlet (14). The swirler (13) is located at a distance from the gas inlet of from 50 to 90% of the total length of the contact and separation zone. Process for treating a gas with such a column.

Abstract: A contact and separation column (1) encasing a stack of one or more contact and separation cells (3). Each cell comprises: —a tray (4) with gas flow openings (6) opening into contact and separation units (7); —a downcomer (16) defining a liquid discharge; and —a liquid supply (17). Each contact and separation unit (7) comprises an upstream contact zone (8, 9) with liquid inlets (12), and one or more downstream separation zones (10) provided with a swirler (13) and a top end with a gas outlet (14). The cross-sectional area of the contact zone (8, 9) is larger than the cross-sectional area of the cross-sectional areas of the one or more separation zones of the contact and separation unit in question (10). Process for treating a gas with such a column.

Abstract: The invention is a method and cyclonic separator for degassing a fluid mixture comprising a carrier liquid and gaseous or vaporizable components. In this method, the fluid mixture is accelerated in a throat section of a vortex tube such that the static pressure of the fluid mixture is decreased and vaporizable components evaporate into a gaseous phase and the fluid mixture flows as a substantially homogeneously dispersed gas-liquid mixture through the throat section; the accelerated fluid mixture is induced to swirl within a tubular mid section of the vortex tube such that the fluid mixture is separated by centrifugal forces into a degassed liquid fraction and a gas enriched fraction; the degassed liquid fraction is induced to flow into an annular liquid outlet conduit; and the gas enriched fraction is induced to flow into a central gas outlet conduit.

Abstract: A method and cyclonic separator are disclosed for degassing a fluid mixture comprising a carrier liquid and gaseous and/or vaporizable components, wherein: the fluid mixture is accelerated in a throat section (6, 21) of a vortex tube (1, 20) such that the static pressure of the fluid mixture is decreased and vaporizable components evaporate into a gaseous phase and the fluid mixture flows as a substantially homogeneously dispersed gas-liquid mixture through the throat section; the accelerated fluid mixture is induced to swirl within a tubular mid section of the vortex tube such that the fluid mixture is separated by centrifugal forces into a degassed liquid fraction and a gas enriched fraction; the degassed liquid fraction is induced to flow into a annular liquid outlet conduit (4, 21); and the gas enriched fraction is induced to flow into a central gas outlet conduit (3, 24).

Abstract: The invention relates to a distribution device (1) for distributing liquid over an underlying catalyst bed comprising a horizontal collection tray (2) provided with at least one gas chimney (3) for upward or downward passage of gas and with liquid dosing nozzles (4) for downward passage of liquid, wherein the gas chimney(s) (3) and liquid doing nozzles (4) are separate from each other and do not have the same longitudinal axis, and wherein each liquid dosing nozzle (4) comprises a concentrically arranged liquid passing hole (5) and splash plate (6), wherein the splash plate (6) is located below the liquid passing hole (5) and below the collection tray (2) such that there is a free fall distance for liquid of at least 100 mm between the hole (5) and the splash plate (6). The invention further relates to a reactor for hydroprocessing comprising such distribution device (1), the use of such reactor for hydroprocessing and a process for hydrocracking or hydrotreating in such reactor.