IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine | Economic Analysis

Intratec Solutions
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3 min readJul 8, 2023

IPDI Production — Technology Description & Economic Analysis

Process Schematic
IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine

The classic route for IPDI commercial production is based on phosgenation, in which IPDA is reacted with phosgene, yielding a mixture of the two IPDI stereoisomers (25/75 cis/trans). This organic isocyanate can also be produced via the so-called non-phosgene routes, based on the reaction of IPDA with urea/alcohol or cabonate.

This article aims to present a brief process description and a condensed cost analysis of IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine.

Process Description

The process under analysis comprises three major sections: (1) Isophorone Hydrocyanation; (2) Isophorone nitrile (IPN) Amino-hydrogenation; and (3) Isophorone Diamine (IPDA) Phosgenation.

Isophorone Hydrocyanation. Initially, fresh and recycled isophorone are fed to a plug flow tubular reactor, along with hydrogen cyanide (HCN). The reaction is carried out in the presence of caustic soda, under atmospheric pressure. Excess of isophorone is used to avoid undesirable reactions (between HCN and the carbonyl group of isophorone). IPN is recovered from the hydrocyanation effluent after washing, distillation and evaporation steps. Caustic soda and unreacted isophorone are returned to the hydrocyanation.

IPN Amino-hydrogenation. The IPN obtained is mixed with excess ammonia and reacted to form isophorone nitrile imine (IPNI) in the presence of gamma-aluminum oxide catalyst. The product of the imination reaction, comprising IPNI, IPN and unreacted ammonia, is fed to the amino-hydrogenation reactors along with hydrogen and more ammonia. This reaction step occurs in the presence of conventional hydrogenation catalysts, yielding IPDA. Unreacted hydrogen and ammonia are separated from the amination effluent and recycled. The IPDA-rich stream is subsequently submitted to distillation and evaporation steps for purification.

IPDA Phosgenation. IPDA and phosgene are vaporized and superheated, then they are fed to the reactors.The mixture is kept at high temperatures for a short time in order to avoid the generation of side products or the decomposition of phosgene. Solvent is used to condense the isophorone diisocianate formed. The liquid stream is further treated to remove the solvent, as well as light and heavy ends. Finally, the purified IPDI product is obtained. The gaseous effluent obtained after liquefaction of IPDI is further treated, in order to recover phosgene and hydrogen chloride.

Cost Analysis

The economic evaluation of industrial processes is a valuable support tool for a myriad of activities and studies, such as screening and assessment of investment options, preliminary evaluation of the economic potential of emerging industrial processes, rough assessment of the economic feasibility of industrial ventures, cost estimates double-checking, preliminary budget approval, research planning, and so on.

A detailed cost analysis for the manufacturing of IPDI was developed by Intratec based on a plant constructed in 2019 Q1 in the United States with the capacity to produce 15,000 metric ton per year of IPDI. The table below presents a few economic figures related to the process “IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine”.

Where,

“Net utilities costs” are costs related to a plant’s consumption of utilities, i.e., steam, electricity, fuel, and refrigeration.

“Corporate overhead costs” are the costs incurred by a company’s head office not directly related to the process operation, such as general administrative costs, information technology, marketing and advertising, and research and development activities.

Main Reference

[1] Intratec. 2019. IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine, Advanced Edition. Available at: www.intratec.us/analysis/ipdi-e11a

IPDI Production Processes

To learn more about processes related to IPDI production, visit: www.intratec.us/analysis/ipdi-production-cost

About Intratec Commodity Production Costs Reports

The report IPDI Production from Isophorone and Chlorine is part of a series of reports prepared by Intratec approaching the production costs of commodities spanning a diverse range of industries: Oil & Energy; Fertilizers & Gases; Olefns & Derivatives; Aromatics & Derivatives; Alcohols & Organic Acids; Polymers; Inorganic Chemicals; Food & Nutrition; Metals & Mining; and Pharmaceuticals.

For information on all Intratec reports visit: www.intratec.us

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