Production of one or more useful products from lesser value halogenated materials

Abstract

A process and apparatus are described for converting a feed that is substantially comprised of halogenated materials, and especially byproduct and waste chlorinated hydrocarbons as are produced from a variety of chemical manufacturing processes, to one or more higher value products via a partial oxidation reforming reaction step. These products can be in the form of a useful or salable acid product and/or a product synthesis gas comprised of carbon monoxide and hydrogen, or the reaction product including the same hydrogen halide, carbon monoxide and hydrogen components can be employed as a feed in the synthesis of a different useful or salable product.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . An apparatus for converting a feed comprised substantially of halogenated materials to one or more useful products, comprising: 
 a) a partial oxidation reforming reactor zone for converting the feed, oxygen from an oxygen source and optionally a supplemental hydrogen-containing co-feed as required to enable the conversion under reducing conditions of substantially all of the halogenated materials in the feed to one or more corresponding hydrogen halides, to a reaction product comprised of said one or more hydrogen halides, water, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen;    b) a source of the feed;    c) means for supplying the feed, the oxygen source and the optional supplemental hydrogen-containing co-feed to the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone;    d) a hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus for quenching the reaction product from the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone;    e) a carbonaceous soot and inorganic ash purge for removing soot and ash from the quenched reaction product;    f) an absorber for receiving substantially all of the reaction product from the quench apparatus and absorbing hydrogen halide in the reaction product into a hydrogen halide-lean aqueous solution to produce a more concentrated hydrogen halide acid solution as a bottoms stream;    g) a stripper for receiving the absorber overheads and neutralizing residual hydrogen halide in the overheads; and    h) acid clean-up apparatus for receiving the more concentrated hydrogen halide acid, bottoms stream from the absorber and for removing contaminant materials therefrom to produce a concentrated hydrogen halide acid product.    
     
     
         2 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone is comprised of a first reactor or reactor section characterized by intimate mixing of the reactants therein and a second reactor or reactor section exhibiting plug flow characteristics.  
     
     
         3 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 2 , wherein the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone is comprised of a first reactor wherein substantially all of the halogenated feed materials are converted and of a discrete, second soak reactor.  
     
     
         4 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 3 , wherein the inlet to the first reactor and the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus following the soak reactor are so positioned with respect to one another, that halogenated materials provided to the inlet of the first reactor are prevented from passing unconverted to the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus.  
     
     
         5 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the inlet to the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone and the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus are sufficiently removed from one another or are arranged spatially so that unconverted halogenated materials are substantially prevented from bypassing from the reactor zone inlet to the quench cooling apparatus inlet directly.  
     
     
         6 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , wherein the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus includes a flooded weir quench and a venturi quench in combination.  
     
     
         7 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 6 , wherein the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus further includes a flux force/condensation scrubber between the flooded weir quench and the verturi quench.  
     
     
         8 . An apparatus as defined in either of  claim 6  or  claim 7 , further comprising a demister apparatus following the venturi quench, for preventing carryover of entrained carbonaceous soot therefrom to downstream equipment.  
     
     
         9 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 1 , further comprising a feed conditioning system, including a grinder, agitated feed tank and classification device operating in combination to prevent particulate materials of a given size and larger which may otherwise be contained in the halogenated materials from entering the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone.  
     
     
         10 . An apparatus for converting a feed comprised substantially of halogenated materials to one or more useful products, comprising: 
 a) a source of a feed comprised substantially of halogenated materials;    b) a partial oxidation reforming reactor zone for converting the feed, oxygen from an oxygen source and optionally a supplemental hydrogen-containing co-feed as required to enable the conversion under reducing conditions of substantially all of the halogenated materials in the feed to one or more corresponding hydrogen halides, to a reaction product comprised of said one or more hydrogen halides, water, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen;    c) means for supplying the feed, the oxygen source and the optional supplemental hydrogen-containing co-feed to the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone;    d) a hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus for quenching the reaction product from the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone;    e) a carbonaceous soot and inorganic ash purge for removing soot and ash from the quenched reaction product;    f) an absorber for receiving substantially all of the reaction product from the quench apparatus and absorbing hydrogen halide in the reaction product into a hydrogen halide-lean aqueous solution to produce a more concentrated hydrogen halide aqueous acid solution as a bottoms stream;    g) a stripper for receiving the absorber overheads and neutralizing residual hydrogen halide in the overheads; and    h) desorption and distillation apparatus for receiving the more concentrated hydrogen halide aqueous acid solution bottoms stream from the absorber and removing sufficient water therefrom to provide an essentially anhydrous hydrogen halide product as an overhead stream.    
     
     
         11 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 10 , wherein the bottoms from the desorption and distillation apparatus is recycled in whole or in part to the absorber as the hydrogen halide-lean aqueous solution.  
     
     
         12 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 12 , wherein the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone is comprised of a first reactor or reactor section characterized by intimate mixing of the reactants therein and a second reactor or reactor section exhibiting plug flow characteristics.  
     
     
         13 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone is comprised of a first reactor wherein substantially all of the halogenated feed materials are converted and of a discrete, second soak reactor.  
     
     
         14 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 13 , wherein the inlet to the first reactor and the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus following the soak reactor are so positioned with respect to one another, that halogenated materials provided to the inlet of the first reactor are prevented from passing unconverted to the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus.  
     
     
         15 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the inlet to the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone and the inlet to the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus are sufficiently removed from one another or are arranged spatially so that unconverted halogenated materials are substantially prevented from bypassing from the reactor zone inlet to the quench cooling apparatus inlet directly.  
     
     
         16 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 11 , wherein the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus includes a flooded weir quench and a venturi quench in combination.  
     
     
         17 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 16 , wherein the hydrogen halide quench cooling apparatus further includes a flux force/condensation scrubber between the flooded weir quench and the verturi quench.  
     
     
         18 . An apparatus as defined in either of  claim 16  or  claim 17 , further comprising a demister apparatus following the venturi quench, for preventing carryover of entrained carbonaceous soot therefrom to downstream equipment.  
     
     
         19 . An apparatus as defined in  claim 11 , further comprising a feed conditioning system, including a grinder, agitated feed tank and classification device operating in combination to prevent particulate materials of a given size and larger which may otherwise be contained in the halogenated materials from entering the partial oxidation reforming reactor zone.