PROCESS AND APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING DIMETHYL ETHER FROM METHANOL

IN A METHOD FOR PRODUCING DIMETHYL ETHER (DME) FROM METHANOL (MEOH) BY CONVERTING RAW MEOH OBTAINED THROUGH MEOH SYNTHESIS TO DME IN A REACTOR (12), SEPARATING WATER IN THE PROCESS, THE RAW MEOH AND A PROCESS-INTERNALLY OBTAINED RETURN FLOW FORMED FROM UNUSED MEOH AND REACTION WATER ARE EVAPORATED TOGETHER AND THE VAPOROUS MEOH IS FED TO A REACTOR (12). IN ORDER TO OBTAIN AS LOW A CONSUMPTION OF OPERATING RESOURCES AS POSSIBLE AND TO IMPROVE THE INSTALLED HEAT TRANSFER CAPACITY, ACCORDING TO THE INVENTION THE REACTION MIXTURE TAKEN OUT OF THE REACTOR (12) IS SEPARATED INTO A BOTTOM PRODUCT COMPRISED SUBSTANTIALLY OF WATER AND A DISTILLATE COMPRISED SUBSTANTIALLY OF DME AND MEOH AND UNCONDENSABLE GASES, AND THE DISTILLATE IS SEPARATED INTO A DISTILLATE COMPRISED SUBSTANTIALLY OF DME AND UNCONDENSABLE GASES RELEASED OVERHEAD AND INTO A LOW-WATER MEOH FORMED BOTTOM PRODUCT. THE MOST ILLUSTRATIVE DRAWING IS