347. CATTERALL, W. E. AND OHSOL, E. O. (Standard Oil Development Co.). Multistage Process for Condensing Hydrocarbon Synthesis Products. United States Patent 2,614,115. Oct. 14, 1952: appl. filed Sept. 22, 1948. Serial No. 50,647: 1 claim (Cl. 260-4

Patent Abstracts

347. CATTERALL, W. E. AND OHSOL, E. O. (Standard Oil Development Co.). Multistage Process for Condensing Hydrocarbon Synthesis Products. United States Patent 2,614,115. Oct. 14, 1952: appl. filed Sept. 22, 1948. Serial No. 50,647: 1 claim (Cl. 260-450).

Claim 1. A process for separating and recovering neutral low molecular weight oxygenated products, which are more volatile than H₂O, in the presence of H₂O present in a gaseous mixture of incondensable gases, hydrocarbons, fatty acids, H₂O, and the like in an effluent from an organic synthesis reaction, wherein H₂ and CO are the reactants, which comprises the steps of cooling and condensing the gaseous mixture in a 1^st cooling step at a temperature above the dew point of H₂O to condense higher molecular weight hydrocarbons; cooling and condensing a residual uncondensed gaseous mixture from the 1^st cooling step in at least 1 stage in a 2d cooling step at a temperature at which a major proportion of the H₂O and fatty acids are condensed but only a minor proportion of the neutral low molecular weight oxygenated products are condensed; cooling and condensing a residual uncondensed gaseous mixture from the 2d cooling step in a 3d cooling step at a temperature <in the 2d cooling step at which lower temperature the remaining H₂O is condensed; scrubbing countercurrently residual uncondensed gaseous mixture from the 3d cooling step with the predominantly H₂O and fatty acids condensate from the 2d cooling step as a scrubbing medium in a scrubbing zone to recover a substantial proportion of the neutral low molecular weight oxygenated products contained in this gaseous mixture; discharging liquid bottoms containing the neutral low molecular weight oxygenated products from the scrubbing step to a distillation zone; discharging the resulting condensate from the 3^rd cooling and condensing step to the distillation zone and distilling the neutral low molecular weight oxygenated products from a resulting mixture in the distillation zone; and recycling a residual liquid bottoms mixture containing fatty acids from the distillation step to an upper portion of the scrubbing zone.