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Title: Ethylene oxide/glycols recovery process

Patent ·
OSTI ID:5965505

A process is described for recovery of a low concentration of ethylene oxide as glycols from an aqueous solution comprising salts and ethylene oxide, which comprises the steps of: passing the aqueous solution comprising salts and ethylene oxide through a hydrolyzing zone at elevated temperature and elevated pressure for a sufficient length of time to insure the conversion of at least the greater portion of the ethylene oxide to glycols to obtain a dilute aqueous glycol solution; passing the dilute aqueous glycol solution through at least one flasher, wherein water is evaporated in the form of steam thereby producing at the bottom of the (last) flasher a solid-liquid two-phase slurry stream comprising salt-containing solids and liquid phase comprising glycol, salt, and water; sending the slurry-containing stream coming out of the (last) flasher to a centrifuge and centrifuging such stream to produce a solid phase and liquid phase; and passing the centrifuged liquid phase to a glycol flasher wherein glycols are separated.

Assignee:
Shell Oil Co., Houston, TX
Patent Number(s):
US 4822926
OSTI ID:
5965505
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: Filed date 29 Feb 1988
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English