US Patent:
20120149960, Jun 14, 2012
Inventors:
Ajaykumar Chandravadan Gami - East Brunswick NJ, US
Sanjeev Ram - Berkeley Heights NJ, US
Assignee:
LUMMUS TECHNOLOGY INC. - Bloomfield NJ
International Classification:
C07C 5/42
Abstract:
A process for dehydrogenation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbon, including: contacting a reactant vapor stream, comprising an alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and steam and having a first steam to alkylaromatic hydrocarbon ratio, with a dehydrogenation catalyst to form a vapor phase effluent comprising a product hydrocarbon, the steam, and unreacted alkylaromatic hydrocarbon; feeding at least a portion of the effluent to a splitter to separate the product hydrocarbon from the unreacted alkylaromatic hydrocarbon; recovered from the splitter as bottoms and overheads fractions, respectively; recovering heat from a first portion of said overheads fraction by indirect heat exchange with a mixture comprising alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and water to at least partially condense said portion and to form an azeotropic vaporization product comprising alkylaromatic vapor and steam having a second steam to alkylaromatic hydrocarbon ratio; and combining the azeotropic vaporization product with additional alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and additional steam, together or separately, to form the reactant vapor stream.