Conversion of methanol to gasoline components
AssigneeMobil Oil Corporation
InventorsClarence D. Chang, Shamsher S. Grover
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Abstract
A method and sequence of process steps is described for effecting the conversion of lower alcohols comprising methanol, ethanol and propanol to gasoline boiling range component arranged to significantly extract reaction heat and selectively control the restricting of the alcohol feed through the production of ethers and olefins prior to isomerizing and aromatizing the formed olefins. A tubular reactor section is particularly relied upon for the highly exothermic olefin forming step of the combination operation.
Claims8
In the process of converting at least one lower aliphatic alcohol having from 1-3 carbon atoms into hydrocarbon products comprising olefins, wherein said alcohol is contacted with a condensation catalyst at elevated temperatures in a first reaction zone in order to obtain a product comprising a mixture of water and at least one ether, and said product from said first reaction zone is therefore contacted with a crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite in a second reaction zone, said zeolite having a pore size greater than about 5 Angstrom Units, a silica to alumina ratio of at least about 12, and a constraint index of about 1 to 12 at elevated temperatures in order to obtain said hydrocarbon product comprising olefins, the improvement which comprises:
- a. adjusting the temperature of the first reaction zone product to a temperature within the range of 600.degree. F to about 800.degree. F;
- b. introducing said product from step (a) into said second reaction zone, wherein said crystalline aluminosilicate zeolite is confined within a plurality of adjacent elongated confined reaction zones surrounded by a heat exchange fluid;
- and
- c. controlling exothermic reaction conditions within said elongated confined reaction zone in order to obtain said hydrocarbon product comprising olefins.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.