Utilization of acetic acid reaction heat in other process plants
View Patent ↗Integrated processes and systems for producing acetic acid and vinyl acetate are provided. In the processes and systems, a portion of the heat produced during the production of the acetic acid is transferred to the vinyl acetate production and/or purification process and system to facilitate production and/or purification of the vinyl acetate product. The process and systems described herein are useful in conjunction with any of the various known processes for the production of acetic acid and vinyl acetate. The heat of the acetic acid production reaction may be transferred to the vinyl acetate production system by any suitable heat transfer processes and systems. The heat may be provided to the purification section at a variety of locations in the vinyl acetate production and purification systems, depending on the specific configuration of the system to which the processes and systems. The process and systems described herein are useful to provide cost and energy savings in vinyl acetate production processes.
1. An integrated process for the production of acetic acid and vinyl acetate comprising the steps:
(a) producing in a first reaction zone a first product stream comprising acetic acid wherein the acetic acid is produced using an exothermic carbonylation reaction, and wherein at least a portion of the heat from the production of acetic acid is removed from the first reaction zone and at least a portion of the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred in a heat transfer system;
(b) contacting in a second reaction zone an acetic acid reaction stream comprised of at least a portion of the acetic acid from the first product stream with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst to produce a second product stream comprising vinyl acetate monomer;
(c) directing at least a portion of the second product stream to a purification section for purifying vinyl acetate to purify at least a portion of the vinyl acetate in the second product stream; and
(d) removing at least a portion of the heat transferred to the heat transfer system and providing at least a portion of the heat removed from the heat transfer system to at least one of the acetic acid reaction stream and the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate, and wherein the heat transfer system comprises a steam condensate stream, and wherein at least a portion of the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred to the steam condensate stream which is used to provide heat removed from the production of acetic acid to at least one of the acetic acid reaction stream and the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate, wherein the stream condensate stream comprising the heat from the production of the acetic acid is transferred into a low pressure flash vessel maintained at a pressure of about 4.0 kg/cm 2 to about 5.3 kg/cm 2 .
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the flash vessel is maintained at a temperature of about 150° C. to about 160° C.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to a vinyl acetate azeotrope column feed stream.
4. The process of claim 1 wherein the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to a reboil stream of light ends column in the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate.
5. The process of claim 1 wherein the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to a reboil stream used in conjunction with a finishing column in the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate.
6. The process of claim 1 wherein the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to the acetic acid reaction stream.
7. The process of claim 1 wherein the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to a reboil stream of a light ends column in the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate and to reboil stream used in conjunction with a finishing column in the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate.
8. An integrated process for the production of acetic acid and vinyl acetate comprising the steps:
(a) producing in a first reaction zone a first product stream comprising acetic acid, wherein the acetic acid is produced using an exothermic carbonylation reaction, and wherein at least a portion of the heat from the production of acetic acid is removed from the first reaction zone and at least a portion of the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred into a heat transfer system;
(b) contacting in a second reaction zone an acetic acid reaction stream comprised of at least a portion of the acetic acid from the first product stream with an oxygen-containing gas in the presence of a catalyst to produce a second product stream comprising vinyl acetate monomer;
(c) directing at least a portion of the second product stream to a purification section for purifying vinyl acetate to purify at least a portion of the vinyl acetate in the second product stream; and
(d) removing at least a portion of the heat transferred to the heat transfer system and providing at least a portion of the heat removed from the heat transfer system to at least one of the acetic acid reaction stream and the purification section for purifying vinyl acetate, wherein the beat transfer system comprises a pump-around condensate loop in which the heat from the production of the acetic acid is removed from the first reaction zone through heat exchange between a hot reactor solution stream and a steam condensate stream, wherein the stream condensate stream comprising the heat from the production of the acetic acid is transferred into a low pressure flash vessel maintained at a pressure of about 4.0 kg/cm 2 to about 5.3 kg/cm 2 .
9. The integrated process of claim 8 , wherein the flash vessel maintained at a temperature of about 150° C. to about 160° C.
10. The integrated process of claim 8 , wherein the heat removed from the production of acetic acid is transferred from the steam condensate of the heat transfer system to the acetic acid reaction stream.