Selective olefin oligomerization with transition metal amine bis(phenolate) catalysts
AssigneeChevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
InventorsThilina Gunasekara, Qing Yang
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Abstract
Catalyst compositions comprising transition metal amine bis(phenolate) complexes and activator-supports are disclosed herein for their use in olefin oligomerization processes to produce oligomer products. Oligomerization processes employing the catalyst compositions selectively produce a mixture of olefin dimers and trimers, wherein the dimers almost exclusively contain vinylidene end groups. Oligomer products disclosed herein can exclude higher order oligomer products, such as tetramers and above.
Claims20
An oligomerization process comprising:
- (i) contacting a catalyst composition, a C4 to C30 alpha olefin monomer, and optionally hydrogen, in an oligomerization reactor under oligomerization conditions;
- and
- (ii) forming an oligomer product in the oligomerization reactor;
- wherein the catalyst composition comprises:
- a catalyst having Formula (I):
- wherein:
- M is Zr or Hf;
- each RX independently is a halogen or a C1 to C18 hydrocarbyl group;
- each RY independently is a C2 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- and
- each RZ independently is H or a C1 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- x is 1, 2, or 3;
- and
- RA is H or joined with an R group to form an aromatic heterocyclic group;
- and
- an activator-support.
A catalyst composition comprising:
- a catalyst having Formula (I):
- wherein:
- M is Zr or Hf;
- each RX independently is a halogen or a C1 to C18 hydrocarbyl group;
- each RY independently is a C2 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- and
- each RZ independently is H or a C1 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- x is 1, 2, or 3;
- and
- RA is H or joined with an R group to form an aromatic heterocyclic group;
- and
- an activator-support.
A process to prepare an oligomerization catalyst composition, the process comprising:
- contacting an activator-support and an organoaluminum compound to form a first mixture;
- and
- contacting the first mixture and a transition metal amine bis(phenolate) complex to form the oligomerization catalyst composition;
- wherein:
- the activator-support comprises fluorided silica-coated alumina, sulfated alumina, or a combination thereof;
- the organoaluminum compound comprises triethylaluminum (TEA), tri-n-butylaluminum (TNBA), triisobutylaluminum (TIBA), or a combination thereof;
- and
- the transition metal amine bis(phenolate) complex has Formula (I):
- wherein:
- M is Zr or Hf;
- each RX independently is a halogen or a C1 to C18 hydrocarbyl group;
- each RY independently is a C2 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- and
- each RZ independently is H or a C1 to C12 hydrocarbyl group;
- x is 1, 2, or 3;
- and
- RA is H or joined with an R group to form an aromatic heterocyclic group.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.