Ethylene Glycol Ethers
Ethylene Glycol Ethers are made by reacting ethylene oxide with an alcohol such as methanol, ethanol or butanol. The modern glycol ethers plant can be design to make all three varieties in a campaign mode in the same plant. The glycol ether plants are designed to handle the wide range of products and alcohol to oxide ratios required in a multi product ethers plant. This would apply to P-series glycol ethers as well as the E-series glycol ethers plants. Description: A portion of the ethylene oxide is added to a circulating stream of the desired alcohol at a specific ratio which controls the product distribution. As the reaction mixture is non-aqueous a catalyst is need to accelerate the reaction. The catalyst is added to the alcohol solution which is preheated and sent to the First Reactor. A series of adiabatic reactors (1) are used to control the temperature rise. A portion of the ethylene oxide is added to each reactor. The reaction effluent is cooled in an intercooler before proceeding to the next reactor. The effluent from the final reactor sent to an Alcohol Column (2) where the un-reacted alcohol is removed and returned to the reactors after the make-up alcohol if added. The alcohol free ether mixture is sent to the first product column, the Mono Glycol Ether Column (3) where the mono ether product is removed. If a heavy ether distribution is desired some of the mono ether is returned to the reactors. The mono free bottoms of the Mono Glycol Ether Column is sent to The DI Glycol Ether Column (4) where the DI Glycol Ether product is distilled over head and the bottoms from the column consisting manly of Poly Glycol Ethers is sent to disposal. The system can then be cleaned and a new alcohol used to produce and alternate product. Advantages of SD Process :
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