ETHER MANUFACTURING PROCESS USING A REACTIVE DISTILLATION COLUMN, CORRESPONDING REACTIVE DISTILLATION COLUMN AND ETHERIFICATION UNIT

摘要

The invention relates to a process for manufacturing ethers by etherification of olefins by alcohols, in which the reactants are treated in at least one main reactor then in a reactive distillation column in which a portion of the liquid and/or gaseous phase is withdrawn at the top of the feed inlet, then it is reinjected directly into the column after having cooled it in order to lower the temperature of the reaction zone to a value that favours the displacement of the thermodynamic equilibrium of the etherification reaction in favour of obtaining ether. The invention also relates to a corresponding reactive distillation column (20) provided with a lateral withdrawal and reinjection pipe (30), the ends of which (30a, 30b) open laterally in the column in order to withdraw a portion of the liquid and/or gaseous phase from the column and to reinject it into this column, said pipe being equipped with a cooling means (32) in order to cool said withdrawn portion.