GB760308A - Improved process for producing ethylene dichloride - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0760308/IV(b)/1> A process of producing ethylene dichloride comprises introducing ethylene and cholrine into a body of liquid consisting primarily of ethylene dichloride, and removing a vapour containing ethylene dichloride as its major constituent from the reaction zone. Chlorine and ethylene are fed by lines 10 and 12 into a reactor 14 containing liquid ethylene dichloride, at its boiling-point, which contains 0.035 to 0.5 per cent by weight of anhydrous ferric chloride. Boiling temperature is maintained by the heat of reaction of the ethylene and chlorine, and ethylene dichloride vapour is removed by a pipe 22, liquefied in a condenser 26, the gaseous phase being removed in a separator 28, while liquid ethylene dichloride flows down a pipe 32. A part of the condensate is returned by a pipe 34, to maintain a constant liquid level in reactor 14, while the remainder passes by a pipe 36 to a stripping column 38, down which it flows in contact with ethylene dichloride vapour from a reboiler 40, which vapour removes dissolved gases from the downstream of reactor crude and then passes to condenser 44, the gases being vented and the condensed ethylene dichloride returned through a pipe 48 as reflux. A bottoms product of liquid ethylene dichloride is removed by pipes 56 and 58 to a still 62, where high-boiling chlorinated hydrocarbons are removed as bottoms through a pipe 64. Ethylene dichloride is removed by a pipe 72 to a condenser 73 and separator 74, a portion of liquid ethylene dichloride being returned as reflux by a pipe 76, while the remainder is removed through a product outlet 78.