A Novel Resilient Process Design of Propylene Hydrogenation Purification by Catalytic Distillation

A novel catalytic distillation process showing a good resilience to deal with the fluctuation of feedstock composition and catalytic activity is proposed to convert methyl acetylene and propadiene (MAPD) into propylene with a high selectivity. In the intensified process, hydrogenation unit and distillation unit are coupled in one device, where MAPD are hydrogenated into propylene and are separated from propylene simultaneously. Compared to conventional hydrogenation process, the novel catalytic distillation process shows a high hydrogenation capacity and a high anti-deactivation ability. These resilience characteristics are related to the process intensification. The effect of feedstock composition and catalytic activity on the product and process operation is discussed. Besides, the side reaction is significantly inhibited. The integrated process also utilizes the reaction heat. The propylene yield can be increased by 1.8% up to 4.5% with an energy saved by 3.0%~6.0%.