Abstract:
A porous body is provided with enhanced fluid transport properties that is capable of performing or facilitating separations, or performing reactions and/or providing areas for such separations or reactions to take place. The porous body includes at least 80 percent alpha alumina and has a pore volume from 0.3 mL/g to 1.2 mL/g and a surface area from 0.3 m2/g to 3.0 m2/g. The porous body further includes a pore architecture that provides at least one of a tortuosity of 7.0 or less, a constriction of 4.0 or less and a permeability of 30 mdarcys or greater. The porous body can be used in a wide variety of applications such as, for example, as a filter, as a membrane or as a catalyst carrier.
Abstract:
A silver-based ethylene epoxidation catalyst is provided that exhibits improved performance, i.e., selectivity and activity decline. The catalyst that exhibits the improved performance includes greater than about 20% by weight of silver disposed on an alpha-alumina carrier, and a promoting amount of one or more promoters disposed on the alpha-alumina carrier. The silver is present on the alpha-alumina carrier as silver particles having a diameter of greater than about 150 nm and a distribution density of about 20 particles per 1 square micron or less.
Abstract:
Silver based ethylene oxide catalysts having enhanced stability are disclosed. The enhanced stability silver based ethylene oxide catalysts include an alumina carrier which has been modified to include cavities on the surface of the carrier. The presence of the cavities on the surface of the modified carrier stops or at least impedes the motion of silver particles on the surface of the carrier during an epoxidation process. In particular, the cavities on the surface of the alumina carrier effectively trap and/or anchor silver particles and prevent them from further motion.
Abstract:
A silver impregnation solution comprising: (i) silver ions, (ii) a silver concentration enhancer selected from at least one ammonium salt having an anionic component that is thermally decomposable; or at least one amino acid, or a combination thereof, (iii) at least one organic amine; and (iv) water; wherein said components (i)-(iii) are dissolved in said impregnation solution, and oxalic acid may or may not be included. The silver impregnation solution can achieve significantly higher silver concentrations, including at least or above 33, 34, or 35 wt %. Methods for producing a silver catalyst by silver impregnation of a refractory support followed by calcination are also described. The resulting silver catalysts possess high silver loadings of typically at least 17, 18, or 19 wt %.
Abstract:
A method for lowering the sodium content of different carriers which may have different physical properties as well as varying degrees of sodium is provided. The method, which lowers the sodium content from the surface, subsurface as well as the binding layer of the carrier, includes contacting a carrier with water. A rinse solution is recovered from the contacting. The rinse solution includes leached sodium from the carrier. The sodium content in the rinse solution is then determined. The contacting, recovering and determining are repeated until a steady state in the sodium content is achieved.
Abstract:
A method for producing ethylene oxide comprising: providing one or more feed components, wherein the one or more feed components contains at least ethylene obtained by dehydrating ethanol; contacting the one or more feed components with a desulfurization catalyst comprising a high surface area support and an amount of silver, wherein at least 20% of the silver is present as oxidized silver; and contacting the one or more feed components with a silver-containing epoxidation catalyst disposed inside an ethylene oxide reactor to form a reaction gas comprising ethylene oxide.
Abstract:
A process for the preparation of ethylene oxide in which a conventional ethylene oxide process is modified by supplement with a second chiller and a tempered water system.
Abstract:
A method for the oxidation of ethylene to form ethylene oxide which comprises treating an aqueous stream in a cycle water treatment unit containing an anion exchange resin to reduce the content of the impurities.
Abstract:
Reduced tube pitch within a shell-and-tube heat exchange reactor such as, for example, an EO reactor, is provided by utilizing a welding material that has a high tensile (i.e., a tensile strength of greater than 600 MPa). Reduced tube pitch allows for more elongated tubes (the tubes are filled with a catalyst) to be present in a reactor, and thus a smaller reactor can be manufactured. Notably, the use of a high tensile strength welding material allows the implementation of a small welding groove located between a beveled sidewall of a beveled upper portion of an opening provided in a tube sheet overlay material (that is located atop a tube sheet) and an outermost sidewall of the elongated tube passing through the opening in the tube sheet overlay material.
Abstract:
A carrier for an ethylene epoxidation catalyst, the carrier comprising a porous alumina body formed of sintered particles of alumina in a substantial absence of inorganic binder species other than alumina, wherein the substantial absence of inorganic binder species corresponds to an amount of less than 0.6 wt % inorganic binder species other than alumina and comprises at least a substantial absence of silicon-containing species.