Systems and methods for synthesizing chemical products, including active pharmaceutical ingredients, are provided. Certain of the systems and methods described herein are capable of manufacturing multiple chemical products without the need to fluidically connect or disconnect unit operations when switching from one making chemical product to making another chemical product.

The present disclosure relates a system of preparing a phthalonitrile-based compound using a continuous process, the preparation system including: a first reaction unit filled with a mixture including a phthalic acid-based compound and a nitrile-based compound; a second reaction unit connected to the first reaction unit; and a discharge unit connected to the second reaction unit, and in the second reaction unit, there is a fluid flow from the first reaction unit direction to the discharge unit direction, wherein the length of the second reaction unit in the fluid flow direction is 10 fold or more the mean square root of the cross-sectional area perpendicular to the fluid flow direction; and a method of preparing a phthalonitrile-based compound using the same.

A process for producing xylenes, in particular para-xylene that is less energy intensive than conventional processes is provided. In an embodiment the process comprises contacting a feed mixture in an isomerization zone with a catalyst at isomerization conditions and producing an isomerized product comprising a higher proportion of p-xylene than in the feed mixture, wherein the catalyst comprises an acidic sulfonated catalytic membrane. Xylene isomerization can also be coupled with a p-xylene extraction process, where the raffinate (p-xylene deprived stream) from the extraction process is fed to an isomerization reactor to produce p-xylene. In an embodiment, the process can comprise: a) providing a feed stream comprising a mixture of xylene isomers including p-xylene; b) extracting p-xylene from the feed stream using a separator to separate the feed stream into a p-xylene rich stream and a p-xylene deprived stream; and c) delivering the p-xylene deprived stream to an isomerization unit, the isomerization unit including an acidic sulfonated catalytic membrane, and using the isomerization unit to produce an isomerized product comprising a higher proportion of p-xylene than in the p-xylene deprived stream delivered to the isomerization unit. In any one or more aspects, the isomerization unit can be operated at a temperature in the range of less than 350°, for example about 20° C. to about 200° C.

A system and method for producing liquid hydrocarbons is disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes at least one renewable power system configured to generate a DC electric power output; at least one water electrolysis system in electrical communication with the renewable power system and configured to utilize the DC electric power to produce a hydrogen output; and a liquid hydrocarbon synthesis system in fluid communication with the water electrolysis system and configured to utilize the hydrogen output and a carbon dioxide feed to produce a liquid hydrocarbon product.

The invention relates to a process and a plant for producing methanol in which a compressed make-up gas stream which contains at least one carbon oxide and hydrogen is combined with a residual gas to afford a synthesis gas stream and reacted to afford methanol. According to the invention the residual gas stream and the make-up gas stream are combined using a jet pump, wherein the compressed make-up gas stream is supplied to the jet pump as motive medium via its motive media connection at a pressure p.sub.1 and the residual gas stream is supplied to the jet pump as suction medium via its suction port at a pressure p.sub.3 and wherein the synthesis gas stream is discharged from the jet pump via its pressure port at a pressure p.sub.2 and subsequently supplied to the synthesis stage and wherein p.sub.1>p.sub.2>p.sub.3.

The invention relates to a thermal conversion vessel (200) used during amidification step of acetone cyanohydrin (ACH), in the industrial process for production of a methyl methacrylate (MMA) or methacrylic acid (MAA). The thermal conversion vessel (200) is used for converting an hydrolysis mixture of α-hydroxyisobutyramide (HIBAM), α-sulfatoisobutyramide (SIBAM), 2-methacrylamide (MACRYDE) and methacrylique acid (MAA), into a mixture of 2-methacrylamide (MACRYDE). It comprises:—at least one compartment (C1, C2, C3, . . . Ci) comprising an inner wall (206a, 206b, . . . 206i) separating said compartment into two communicating parts (C1a, C1b) by a passage provided between the bottom of said vessel and said inner wall,—said compartment having a space above said inner wall, for separating gas phase from liquid phase during thermal conversion,—said compartment being connected to an outlet valve (204a, 204b, . . . 204i). Such vessel allows obtaining a high yield thermal conversion in very safe conditions.

Methods and apparatuses are provided for producing hydrocarbons. A method for producing hydrocarbons may include two or more reactors having a distributed aromatic rich feed and hydrogen system. Using this configuration, the aromatic rich feed and hydrogen streams are split equally to all reactors wherein each reactor contains a catalyst. The outlet from the last reactor may include a recycle that may be injected into the inlet of the first reactor.

A process is provided for utilizing polypropylene-containing waste plastic. The process provides pyrolyzing a plastic feed in a pyrolysis reactor to obtain a pyrolysis effluent stream. The process further provides passing the pyrolysis effluent stream to a distillation column to obtain a C.sub.9 hydrocarbons rich stream which is also dimethylheptenes rich and then passing the C.sub.9 hydrocarbons rich stream to a reforming unit to provide a reformate stream. The process further provides passing the reformate stream to a transalkylation unit to provide a mixed-xylenes stream.

Systems and methods are provided for co-processing of pyrolysis tar with pre-pyrolysis flash bottoms. In some aspects, the co-processing can correspond to solvent-assisted hydroprocessing. By combining pyrolysis tar and flash bottoms with a solvent, various difficulties associated with hydroprocessing of the fractions can be reduced or minimized, such as difficulties associated with hydroprocessing of high viscosity feeds and/or high sulfur feeds. Optionally, separate solvents and/or fluxes can be used for the pyrolysis tar and the flash bottoms. The resulting upgraded products can be suitable, for example, for inclusion in low sulfur fuel oils (LSFO).

A system including a dump tank to receive a reactor product comprising a polymer and hydrocarbons, including liquid hydrocarbons, the dump tank including a vessel with a reactor product inlet, a motive gas inlet, a purge gas inlet, gas outlet(s), and a fluid outlet, the motive gas inlet for introducing a motive gas into the vessel, the purge gas inlet for introducing a purge gas into the vessel, the one or more gas outlets located at a top of the vessel and the fluid outlet located at a bottom of the vessel and fluidly connected with a dump tank fluid outlet line having a dump tank outlet valve to control flow of fluid out of the dump tank via the fluid outlet; and a strainer fluidly connected with the dump tank fluid outlet line to allow passage of liquid hydrocarbons therethrough into a hydrocarbon outlet line.