Ethylene Oxide

Abstract

Ethylene is combined with high purity oxygen with a molar ratio of ethylene to oxygen of 3.33. Methanol ballast is maintained at 45 percent concentration. This mixture at 2200C is fed to a tubular reactor at 17.2 bar pressure where it reacts. The selectivity to ethylene oxide is 77 mole percent. Ethylene conversion is 11 percent per pass. Ethylene oxide is absorbed with lean cycle water in an absorber. It is later passed through a desorber, stripper, and an ethylene oxide purification column. The purified ethylene oxide either goes forward for sales or to an ethylene glycol synthesis plant.