Acetone Production
Energy Balances, Numerical Methods
Design Project
Production of Acetone
Process Description
Figure I is a preliminary process flow diagram (PFD) for the acetone production process.
The raw material is isopropanol. The isopropanol (lPA) feed is a near azeotropic mixture with water at BB wt yo IPA at 25"C and I atm. The feed is heated, vaporized, and superheated in a heat exchanger (E-401), and it is then sent to the reactor (R-401) in which acetone is formed.
The reaction that occlrrs is shown below. The reactor effluent is cooled and partially condensed in a heat exchanger (E-402), and it is then sent to a separation unit (V-401) in which all of the light gas (hydrogen) enters Stream 7 while the remaining components (acetone, IPA, and water) distribute according to Raoult 's Law. Some of the acetone in Stream 7 is recovered by absorbing it into pure water in T-401. The liquid in Stream 12 is distilled to produce "pure" acetone in
Stream 13 and waste water (containing IPA) in Stream 14. The desired acetone production rate is 15,000 metric tons/yr.
Process Details
Feed Streams
Stream
1:
Stream 9:
isopropyl alcohol, liquid, 88 wt % IPA, 12 wt
%o
water, T atm,25"C
distilled process water, 3 bar,25"C
Effluent Streams
Stream
1
1:
Stream 13:
off-gas stream to incinerator, credit may be taken for LHV of
acetone product, liquid, 99.9 molYa purity, must contain99.5 nolo/, of acetone
in Stream 12
Stream 14:
fLrel
waste water stream, treatment cost $50.00/106 kg must contain less than 0.04 mole fi 'action IPA and acetone
o
O
L
o
(s
3
0)
o
(E
=
$
= c =
o o o
.C yco xaE '6
8;€
Y ru 308 kPa return temperature is no higher than 20oC
Process Water available at 300 kPa and 25oC
S0.04/1000 kg
Data
Use data from Reference
[]
or from any handbook (such as Reference [2]). The following
data are not readily available in these references.
Liquid Heat
Design Project
Production of Acetone
Process Description
Figure I is a preliminary process flow diagram (PFD) for the acetone production process.
The raw material is isopropanol. The isopropanol (lPA) feed is a near azeotropic mixture with water at BB wt yo IPA at 25"C and I atm. The feed is heated, vaporized, and superheated in a heat exchanger (E-401), and it is then sent to the reactor (R-401) in which acetone is formed.
The reaction that occlrrs is shown below. The reactor effluent is cooled and partially condensed in a heat exchanger (E-402), and it is then sent to a separation unit (V-401) in which all of the light gas (hydrogen) enters Stream 7 while the remaining components (acetone, IPA, and water) distribute according to Raoult 's Law. Some of the acetone in Stream 7 is recovered by absorbing it into pure water in T-401. The liquid in Stream 12 is distilled to produce "pure" acetone in
Stream 13 and waste water (containing IPA) in Stream 14. The desired acetone production rate is 15,000 metric tons/yr.
Process Details
Feed Streams
Stream
1:
Stream 9:
isopropyl alcohol, liquid, 88 wt % IPA, 12 wt
%o
water, T atm,25"C
distilled process water, 3 bar,25"C
Effluent Streams
Stream
1
1:
Stream 13:
off-gas stream to incinerator, credit may be taken for LHV of
acetone product, liquid, 99.9 molYa purity, must contain99.5 nolo/, of acetone
in Stream 12
Stream 14:
fLrel
waste water stream, treatment cost $50.00/106 kg must contain less than 0.04 mole fi 'action IPA and acetone
o
O
L
o
(s
3
0)
o
(E
=
$
= c =
o o o
.C yco xaE '6
8;€
Y ru 308 kPa return temperature is no higher than 20oC
Process Water available at 300 kPa and 25oC
S0.04/1000 kg
Data
Use data from Reference
[]
or from any handbook (such as Reference [2]). The following
data are not readily available in these references.
Liquid Heat
References: Wiley, New York, 1986. Perry, R. H. and D. Green, eds., Perry 's Chemical Engineering Handbook (7th ed.), McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997.