Improvements in or relating to a method for continuously carrying out liquid-phase reactions in the presence of a solid catalyst, and apparatus therefor

摘要

PICT:0885088/III/1 A process for effecting a liquid phase reaction comprises passing the liquid phase upwardly through discrete catalyst particles in a reaction zone of increasing cross-section from below upwards, the liquid phase linear input velocity and the maximum increased cross-section being such that a suspension of the particles is formed in the liquid and a catalyst-free zone is maintained in the top and bottom of the reaction zone. The invention consists also of an apparatus comprising a vessel, the internal cross-section of which increases from below upwards, the vessel being provided at its base with a vertically disposed inlet tube and at its head with one or more outlet tubes; the vessel may be inverted-cone or frustum shaped, e.g. wherein the vertex angle is 5-60 DEG . In the preferred embodiment illustrated, reactor 1 is filled with catalyst to level 6 and the reactants introduced by pipe 2 and cock 4, the latter being shut off when the operation is stopped; the products are withdrawn by pipe 3 or 31, the latter starting from an annular gutter 5 into which the liquid overflows. In examples, the method of the invention is applied to (a) hydrolysis of methyl acetate (sulphonic polystyrene resin catalyst (i)), (b) manufacture of butyl acetate (cation exchange resin catalyst in hydrogen form), (c) manufacture of mesityl oxide (catalyst (i)), (d) saccharose hydrolysis (catalyst (i)).ALSO:PICT:0885088/IV (b)/1 A process for effecting a liquid phase reaction comprises passing the liquid phase upwardly through discrete catalyst particles in a reaction zone of increasing cross-section from below upwards, the liquid phase linear input velocity and the maximum increased cross-section being such that a suspension of the particles is formed in the liquid and a catalyst-free zone is maintained in the top and bottom of the reaction zone. The process may be effected by an apparatus comprising a vessel, the internal cross-section of which increases from below upwards, the vessel being provided at its base with a vertically disposed inlet tube and at its head with one or more outlet tubes; the vessel may be invertedcone or frustrum shaped, e.g. wherein the vertex angle is 5 degrees-60 degrees. In the preferred embodiment illustrated, reactor 1 is filled with catalyst to level 6 and the reactants introduced by pipe 2 and cock 4, the latter being shut off when the operation is stopped; the products are withdrawn by pipe 3 or 31, the latter starting from an annular gutter 5 into which the liquid overflows. In examples, the method of the invention is applied to (a) hydrolysis of methyl acetate (sulphonic polystyrene resin catalyst (i)), (b) manufacture of butyl acetate (cation exchange resin catalyst in hydrogen form), (c) manufacture of mesityl oxide (catalyst (i)).