PROCESS OF PRODUCING ALKYLENE GLYCOLS Russian patent published in 2006 - IPC C07C31/20 C07C29/10 

FIELD: industrial organic synthesis.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to production of alkylene glycols used as components of low-freezing, anti-icing, hydraulic fluids, and braking fluids and also used in production of solvents, plasticizers, and materials employed to obtain materials used in areas of plastics, pesticides, varnishes, and paints. Process resides in hydration of alkylene oxides at elevated temperatures and pressure in reactor or a series of reactors in presence of catalytic system based of anion-exchange resins in salt form. Process is conducted while periodically redistributing stream with maximum alkylene oxide concentration across reactor or reactors of reactor series. Typically, hydration process is conducted in a series of displacement-type reactors interconnected in consecutive-parallel chain with fractional (distributed) alkylene oxide supply to reactors of reactor series. Typically, redistribution of the stream with maximum alkylene oxide concentration through reactors of reactor series is accomplished by periodically switching supply of the stream with maximum alkylene oxide concentration from one reactor to another. Generally, hydration process is conducted in presence of inorganic and/or organic acids, and/or their salts, and/or carbon dioxide.

EFFECT: reduced catalyst swelling rate.

5 cl, 4 dwg, 2 tbl, 29 ex