MaximaLabs

Phenol and acetone, in a ratio the chemistry fixes

Cumene peroxidized in air then acid-cleaved, with acetone, recycle cumene, phenol and heavies separated across three columns.

Two atom-balanced steps: peroxidation then cleavageThree-column separation train, fully connectedTwo saleable products from one feed
Cumene
Air
Mix
Peroxidation reactor
Cooler
Off-gas flash
Off-gas
Acid cleavage
Cooler
Acetone column
Acetone
Cumene column
Cumene recycle
Phenol column
Phenol
Heavies

The actual dark-mode canvas: cumene peroxidized in air, the off-gas flashed away, the hydroperoxide acid-cleaved, then acetone, recycle cumene, phenol and heavies separated in three columns.

One feed, two products, a fixed ratio

Cleavage produces phenol and acetone mole-for-mole, so a phenol producer is an acetone producer whether it wants to be or not — the classic co-product economics of this route. Both steps are atom-balanced here, so that ratio falls out of the chemistry rather than being asserted.

C6H5CH(CH3)2+O2C6H5C(CH3)2OOH(peroxidation)\mathrm{C_6H_5CH(CH_3)_2} + \mathrm{O_2} \longrightarrow \mathrm{C_6H_5C(CH_3)_2OOH} \quad \text{(peroxidation)}
C6H5C(CH3)2OOH H+ C6H5OH+CH3COCH3(cleavage)\mathrm{C_6H_5C(CH_3)_2OOH} \xrightarrow{\ \mathrm{H^+}\ } \mathrm{C_6H_5OH} + \mathrm{CH_3COCH_3} \quad \text{(cleavage)}
n˙acetonen˙phenol(the co-product ratio is stoichiometric, not a market choice)\dot n_{\text{acetone}} \equiv \dot n_{\text{phenol}} \quad \text{(the co-product ratio is stoichiometric, not a market choice)}

Unit ops shipped for this vertical

Mixer

Combines multiple streams into one, closing the mass and energy balance.

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Fixed-conversion reactor

A specified per-pass conversion on a key component — the shortcut counterpart to the equilibrium and kinetic reactors.

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Heater / cooler

Duty- or outlet-condition-specified energy-balance stage.

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Flash drum

Single-stage vapor-liquid equilibrium split at a fixed temperature/pressure.

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Separator

Flash/phase-split unit op — the foundational vapor-liquid calculation.

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Live plant integration

Stream oxidizer temperature, cleavage acid rate and each column's cut from the plant's OPC-UA server into this flowsheet's twin comparison — peroxide concentration is the safety-critical variable here, and it is set by the same balance the flowsheet solves.

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Try it yourself

  • Two atom-balanced steps: peroxidation then cleavage
  • Three-column separation train, fully connected
  • Co-product ratio is stoichiometric, not a market choice

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