Process for producing mid-range vinylidene content polyisobutylene polymer products
AssigneeTexas Petrochemicals LP
InventorC. Edward Baxter JR.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A process for making a relatively low molecular weight, mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer product comprising a liquid phase polymerization process conducted in a loop reactor at a temperature of at least 60° F. using a BF3/methanol catalyst complex and a contact time of no more than 4 minutes. At least about 90% of the PIB molecules present in the product comprise alpha or beta position isomers. The vinylidene (alpha) isomer content of the product may range from 20% to 70% thereof, and the content of tetra-substituted internal double bonds is very low, advantageously no more than about 10%, preferably less than about 5% and ideally less than about 1-2%.
Claims29
A liquid phase polymerization process for preparing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition comprising PIB molecules, wherein a first portion of said PIB molecules have alpha position double bonds and a second portion of said PIB molecules have beta position double bonds, wherein said first and second portions together include at least 90% of the PIB molecules of the composition, wherein said first portion includes less than 70% of the PIB molecules of the composition, and wherein no more than about 10% of the PIB molecules of the composition have tetra-substituted internal double bonds, said process comprising:
- providing a liquid feedstock comprising isobutylene;
- providing a catalyst composition comprising a stable complex of BF3 and a catalyst complexing agent, wherein the ratio of complexing agent to BF3 in said complex is no more than about 1.3:1;
- introducing said feedstock and said catalyst composition into a residual reaction mixture in a loop reactor reaction zone;
- recirculating the residual reaction mixture in said zone at a recirculation rate sufficient to cause intimate intermixing of the residual reaction mixture, the feedstock and the catalyst composition to thereby present a recirculating, intimately intermixed reaction admixture in said reaction zone;
- maintaining the recirculating intimately intermixed reaction admixture in its intimately intermixed condition and removing heat of reaction from the reaction admixture at a rate calculated to provide a substantially constant reaction temperature in the reaction admixture while the same is recirculating in said reaction zone;
- withdrawing a product stream comprising said mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition;
- and
- controlling the introduction of said feedstock into said reaction zone and the withdrawal of said product stream from the reaction zone such that the residence time of the isobutylene components undergoing polymerization in the reaction zone is no more than about 4 minutes.
A liquid phase polymerization process for preparing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition, said process comprising:
- providing a feedstock comprising isobutylene;
- providing a catalyst composition comprising a complex of BF3 and a complexing agent therefor;
- introducing said feedstock and said catalyst composition into a residual reaction mixture in a reaction zone;
- intimately intermixing said residual reaction mixture, said feedstock and said catalyst composition to present an intimately intermixed reaction admixture in said reaction zone;
- maintaining the intimately intermixed reaction admixture in its intimately intermixed condition and keeping it at a temperature of at least about 0° C. while the same is in said reaction zone, to thereby cause the isobutylene therein to undergo polymerization to form said polyisobutylene;
- withdrawing a product stream comprising polyisobutylene having an alpha plus beta isomer content of at least about 90% from said reaction zone;
- and
- controlling the introduction of said feedstock into said reaction zone and the withdrawal of said product stream from the reaction zone such that the residence time of the isobutylene undergoing polymerization in the reaction zone is no greater than about 4 minutes.
A liquid phase polymerization process for preparing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition comprising PIB molecules, wherein a first portion of said PIB molecules have alpha position double bonds and a second portion of said PIB molecules have beta position double bonds, wherein said first and second portions together include at least 90% of the PIB molecules of the composition, and wherein no more than about 10% of the PIB molecules of the composition have tetra-substituted internal double bonds, said process comprising:
- providing a liquid feedstock comprising isobutylene;
- providing a catalyst composition comprising a stable complex of BF3 and a catalyst complexing agent, wherein the ratio of complexing agent to BF3 in said complex is no more than about 1.3:1;
- introducing said feedstock and said catalyst composition into a residual reaction mixture in a loop reactor reaction zone;
- recirculating the residual reaction mixture in said zone at a recirculation rate sufficient to cause intimate intermixing of the residual reaction mixture, the feedstock and the catalyst composition to thereby present a recirculating, intimately intermixed reaction admixture in said reaction zone;
- maintaining the recirculating intimately intermixed reaction admixture in its intimately intermixed condition and removing heat of reaction from the reaction admixture at a rate calculated to provide a substantially constant reaction temperature in the reaction admixture while the same is recirculating in said reaction zone;
- withdrawing a product stream comprising said mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition;
- and
- controlling the introduction of said feedstock into said reaction zone and the withdrawal of said product stream from the reaction zone such that the residence time of the isobutylene components undergoing polymerization in the reaction zone is no more than about 4 minutes.
A process for preparing a PIB amine compound comprising:
- providing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition comprising PIB molecules, wherein a first portion of said PIB molecules have alpha position double bonds and a second portion of said PIB molecules have beta position double bonds, wherein said first and second portions together include at least 90% of the PIB molecules of the composition, wherein said first portion includes less than 70% of the PIB molecules of the composition, and wherein no more than about 10% of the PIB molecules of the composition have tetra-substituted internal double bonds;
- reacting said composition with a compound having a reactive site for subsequent amination to thereby produce an intermediate;
- and
- reacting said intermediate with an amine.
A process for preparing a PIB maleic anhydride adduct comprising:
- providing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition comprising PIB molecules, wherein a first portion of said PIB molecules have alpha position double bonds and a second portion of said PIB molecules have beta position double bonds, wherein said first and second portions together include at least 90% of the PIB molecules of the composition, wherein said first portion includes less than 70% of the PIB molecules of the composition, and wherein no more than about 10% of the PIB molecules of the composition have tetra-substituted internal double bonds;
- and
- reacting said composition with maleic anhydride.
A process for preparing a PIB maleic anhydride adduct comprising:
- providing a mid-range vinylidene content PIB polymer composition comprising PIB molecules, wherein a first portion of said PIB molecules have alpha position double bonds and a second portion of said PIB molecules have beta position double bonds, wherein said first and second portions together include at least 90% of the PIB molecules of the composition, wherein said first portion includes less than 70% of the PIB molecules of the composition, and wherein no more than about 10% of the PIB molecules of the composition have tetra-substituted internal double bonds;
- and
- reacting said composition with a phenolic compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.