US Patent 7790920 Preparation of acetic acid

A process for producing acetic acid is disclosed. The process comprises carbonylating methanol to form a reaction mixture comprising a catalyst, catalyst stabilizer, acetic acid, methanol, methyl iodide, methyl acetate, water, and carbon monoxide and introducing at least a portion of the reaction mixture to a distillation column to separate into a bottom steam comprising the catalyst and catalyst stabilizer, a sidedraw stream comprising acetic acid and water, and an overhead stream comprising methanol, methyl acetate, methyl iodide, and water. The process of the invention eliminates the use of flash tank.