The design of a new 100,000-metric-tons-per YEAR PHTALIC ANHYDRIDE

PRODUCTION FACILITY

Main reaction

Secondary reaction

Main data
Plant capacity: 100,000 metric ton/year
Highly exotermic reaction.
Process conditions:
T= 100°C
P= 1.1 bar
Required purity of Phtalic and Maleic anhydride products is 99.9 wt% and 95.0 wt%,
respectively
Process Flow Diagram

Process Description

 Once mixed, the Orto-Xylene with the O2 stream, they descend to the multitubular
reactor, where the highly exotermical reaction takes place.
 To control the amount of heat that comes out of the reactor, there are two heat
exchangers placed besides the reactor, which contain cooling salts (molten salts) of
NaNO2 and KNO3 .
 There is a complex set of 3 condensers.
 Due to the low partial pressure of Ftalic Anhydride in such stream, a inverse
sublimation process ocurrs.
 After the solid is loaded in the heat exchangers, the gas flow that goes to the
condenser is stopped and hot oil circulates through to melt the solid.
 The result of these process are 2 streams: One liquid stream that contains the
condensates and another vapor stream that contains the FTALIC ANHYDRIDE,
maleic Anhydride and the non-condensates.
 Finally, these 2 streams are send to 2 distillation columns in which the main
product FTALIC ANHYDRIDE is separated from the impurities and ready to be
distributed.