EDC Direct Chlorination Process
Using Boiling Reactor Technology and Direct Chlorination Catalyst
In the Direct Chlorination process, EDC is produced by the exothermal addition of chlorine to ethylene in the liquid EDC phase. In the Vinnolit process a special complex is used as the catalyst, which is a remarkable improvement in comparison to the standard iron chloride catalyst.
The catalyst significantly suppresses the formation of by-products. Therefore the reaction can be carried out at a substantially higher temperature, whereby heat recovery is possible. The catalyst is fed to the reactor loop under normal operation. There is no continuous catalyst consumption.
The catalyst can be used in all liquid-loop reactors as well as in a boiling reactor for the full temperature range between 50–125 °C. The EDC produced in this way has a quality which allows direct feed to the EDC cracker without distillation.
The advantages of the Vinnolit process can be summarized as follows:
- No continuous catalyst consumption
- High raw material yields
- High EDC purity: > 99.9% (without distillation)
- Utilization of reaction heat, e.g. for heating distillation columns or drying PVC, leading to a reduction in steam consumption of up to 700 kg/ton EDC
- Low investment costs
- Complete reaction in only one reactor
- Proven materials and reliable and simple equipment
- High active and selective catalyst