An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

An improved process for the recovery of high-purity ethylene-oxide water feed streams to EO purification and MEG reaction units when both are operating in EO plants that incorporate EO Stripper bypass technology, by installing a second lights stripper to exclusively degasify the diluted EO feed to the MEG reactor, thus permitting the use of additional bypassed (gasified) EO absorbate as the diluent and resulting in a substantial increase in the total amount of EO absorbate that can bypass the EO Stripper.

Falling film evaporator systems, devices, and methods are disclosed in the present application. In some embodiments, the falling film evaporator system can include a hollow cylindrical glass tube configured to enclose the major parts of the falling film evaporator system. Furthermore, in some embodiments, inserted into the cylindrical glass tube is another hollow evaporator tube with a dispensing bowl at the top, a reservoir of the dispending bowl facing the inside top of the cylindrical glass tube. Inserted into the hollow evaporator tube is a heating element configured to heat the hollow evaporator tube such that an outside surface of the evaporator tube is heated. At the top of the hollow cylindrical glass is an inlet where liquid flows into the dispensing bowl, spilling over the edges of the bowl, generating a thin film of liquid that is evaporated as it falls down the outside surface of the evaporator tube.

A tray assembly for improved gas/liquid contact in a chemical process tower includes a tray deck and a downcomer. A mixer is provided in the top of the downcomer and a distributor is attached to a floor of the downcomer. The mixer includes at least one mixing baffle parallel to an outlet weir on the tray. The distributor includes a plurality of spaced apart flow directing plates extending downwardly toward and spaced apart from the floor of the downcomer. In combination, the mixer and distributor effect even liquid flow across the surface of a subjacent tray deck.

A mass transfer column comprising: a shell (12); an open internal region (14) defined by said shell; and a mass transfer assembly (16) positioned in the open internal region (14), the mass transfer assembly (16) comprising: a dividing wall (18) forming first and second sub-regions; one or more zones of mass transfer structures positioned in the first and second sub-regions (22 and 24); and a liquid flow divider (48) positioned above the dividing wall (18) for delivering a volumetric split of liquid to the first and second sub-regions. The liquid flow divider (48) may comprise a moveable weir (68) or a valve (180) in order the change the ratio of liquid flow between the two sub-regions.

The present invention describes a device for supplying the catalytic zone of a reactive distillation column using a liquid stream as the reaction stream, the flow of liquid in the reactive zone being of the upflow type and gas not encountering the liquid in the reactive zone.

A vessel header includes lateral flow tubes arranged in a parallel configuration. The lateral flow tubes enter the vessel header through alternating vessel header penetrations with a single vessel header penetration per lateral flow tube. Each lateral flow tube has a perforated section within the vessel header having a non-circular cross-section having the shape of a circular sector, an elliptical sector, or an irregular quadrilateral. A method includes passing a molten polymer through the lateral flow tubes of the vessel header. The molten polymer exits the lateral flow tubes as strands through perforations in the lateral flow tubes within the vessel header. The method includes obtaining devolatilized polymer.

A process-technology column including a novel liquid distributor which is to be as insensitive as possible to dirt or solids carried in the liquid and which can be operated over a load range as great as possible without the possibility of the delivered liquid being excessively easily entrained by the gas flow which rises in the column is provided. The liquid distributor includes a liquid feed for conducting a liquid and at least 2 nozzles connected thereto for producing a respective liquid jet. The nozzles are flat-jet nozzles for producing a respective flat jet. The flat-jet nozzles are so oriented that the flat jet produced by them impinges on a drain element which is arranged at the liquid distributor and at which the liquid of the flat jet can drain away.

A liquid distribution assembly includes a plate to collect liquid and a plurality of liquid distributors coupled to the plate. Each liquid distributor of the plurality of liquid distributors includes a conduit extending down from the plate. Liquid is to flow internal to the conduit from the plate. Each liquid distributor also includes a dome coupled to the conduit at an end of the conduit distal from the plate. The conduit defines openings disposed where the dome is coupled to the conduit permitting the liquid to flow from the conduit to the dome. The liquid is to flow over an edge of the dome.

Disclosed is a divided wall column, comprising: a column shell; a divided wall provided vertically inside the column shell, defining a divided wall section between an upper edge and a lower edge of the divided wall; and a liquid distributor provided within the divided wall section, characterized in that, the liquid distributor is fixed only to the column shell but not to the divided wall. By using the divided wall column of the present invention, a defect involved in conventional divided wall columns, i.e. a maldistribution of fluid over mass transfer elements caused by a manufacturing defect of the divided wall resulted from its manufacturing process and/or a deformation thereof under operation conditions, can be minimized or even avoided.